DOCUMENT

From the Principal In today’s working world, employers are looking for a particular mind set, disposition or skill set that future employees can transfer from one situation to another rather than a specific study or work background. Recently I have been reading about the challenges young people have when deciding what their future might look like as they choose their pathway after they finish school. Many students have limited knowledge of the range of careers available to themwhich fit their talents and interests. There are the perennial favourites at university; medicine, law, accounting and design. Students believe they understand these professions largely anecdotally from their family and friends who are connected to the industry. There are also those professions that become popular due to a popular TV programme or other media. Thanks to CSI, there has been an increase in the number of people studying forensic science. What we are learning however, is that when asked what attracts young people to a particular profession, most are unable to articulate what “it” is. There does not appear to be knowledge of the skill set required and there is a lack of awareness of what the future might hold for them in the workforce. Our Year 13 students are currently making these decisions. Recently, a large number of Year 13 students took the opportunity to visit Otago University to learn about studying there and to“get a feel” for what life would be like in Dunedin. This will no doubt be the first of many visits alongside talking to family and friends, researching online and having discussions with the Student Support Programme Manager and academic and pastoral care teams here at Queen Margaret College and beyond as they decide on their future pathway. We need our Year 13 students to be aware of the skills required to be ready for the workforce. A recent study has shown that students require 16 skills for the 21st century which have been refined into three broad categories: • Foundational Literacies: How students apply core skills to everyday tasks • Competencies: How students approach complex challenges • Character Qualities: How students approach their changing environment. Students need to be able to think broadly and creatively about what the future might look like in 5, 10 or even 15 years. This discussion is becoming more of a focus at Queen Margaret College, and at a national and international level. The Ministry of Education has started discussions about what the future of New Zealand education should look like and have created a survey to hear our thoughts. You can take the survey at www.conversation.education.govt.nz , I encourage you to have your say. In the near future we will also be seeking feedback about what education could look like at Queen Margaret College and we look forward to hearing your views. Jayne-Ann Young Principal Diagram Source: https://widgets.weforum.org/nve-2015/chapter1.html 1