‘”Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”‘
– Albert Einstein –
LIFE SKILLS LEARNING
Research indicates that increasingly high percentages of employers interviewing applicants for jobs today report that they are are finding that while those applicants may have the academic knowledge needed to fill the position, many are inadequately prepared for life in the workplace.
It would appear that academic learning alone is failing to adequately prepare many students for adult life and successful careers. Life skills learning and life skills activities, objectives and life skills courses are essential for students of all ages if we are to prepare them for life as an adult and successful employment.
Life skills learning is a focus of Zane’s efforts to improve education in the 21st Century. As a result we are investing in developing a comprehensive life skills learning curriculum intended to provide life skills learning (otherwise known as social emotional skills education) for students of all ages, to fulfill those needs. Once development is completed this new Life Skills Learning resource will be added to our Zane Education online learning platform.
As schools and colleges continue to focus and prioritize their efforts on providing the academic learning that many students often fail to relate to and cannot always see the importance of, education needs to listen to those employers of the future and provide the life skills learning necessary. This become especially important when many of those prospective employers are suggesting that they would even forego the academic qualifications for good attitude, self-motivation and the adaptability of candidates.
We do not need to look too far around us to find the evidence that suggests that we are living in a society today where life skills are increasingly lacking. So it should come as no surprise that life skills learning is becoming more highly valued than academic knowledge and qualifications in some situations.
It was Jean Piaget the highly-regarded Swiss clinical psychologist who contributed so much to pioneering child development that famously stated “The principle goal of education in school should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done”.
Zane is committed to developing and providing a curriculum of life skills learning resources that will enable all students, young people – and those that value their future in the workplace and business, to operate, communicate and succeed at all levels. This is particularly essential for those that may consider starting their own businesses one day.
Life skills learning also plays a significant role in the progress each student makes as they travel the Education-to-Employment Pathway they have hopefully been encouraged to plan and set themselves. Not only does it effect they way in which they communicate effectively with those around them, those same life skills also encourage them to understand and see the relevance of what they are learning academically in regard to their potential future employment opportunities.
As we enter the 21st century, innovation and creativity are qualities that are becoming increasingly valued, yet we hear much less about the ability for the individual to be able to communicate and work effectively as part of a team – which again stresses the importance of life skills.
While literacy and academic knowledge will always be important, a knowledge of the world in which we live – and where we have come from, also enriches us as a society. However if that comes at the expense of lack of self-motivation and accountability, the inability to think for ourselves and face new situations every day, and an inability to care for and communicate with those around us, and manage our lives effectively, then we risk paying a huge price in the future.
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