Nobody knows exactly what careers will be in demand in the future, but schools have a responsibility to prepare students for a working world that is already changing quickly. Haileybury’s Future Ready Festival does just that.
Today’s young Australians are projected to have an average of 17 jobs across five different careers during their lifetime.
They also face the ‘most significant disruption in the world of work since the industrial revolution’ due to automation, globalisation and digital disruption, such as AI, according to the New Work Order Series reports published by the Foundation for Young Australians.
This means career education can no longer be limited to helping students choose a course or a profession. Future-proofing students now means equipping students with the knowledge and capabilities they need to explore different career paths.
It means ensuring they develop new skills and find their place in a working world that is continuously being reshaped by technology, globalisation and changing employer expectations.
This is why Haileybury is always looking ahead to help prepare graduates for a lifetime of change and reinvention after school. The annual Future Ready Festival is one way the school does this.
Each year, the event shines a light on trends and insights unfolding across industries. Organised by the Careers & Pathways Team at Haileybury, keynote speakers come together to discuss and dissect a pressing workplace issue. This year’s panel were AI experts who discussed how AI is shaping careers and why human skills also remain essential in an AI-driven world.
Shifting and reinventing
As the world of work constantly shifts and reinvents itself, students need to be able to do the same. The World Economic Forum says between now and 2030, the fastest-growing skills ranked as important by employers include analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility, agility, leadership, social influence, creative thinking, curiosity and lifelong learning.
Today’s students need to be able to question, find new and better ways to tackle challenges, step up and lead, and be open to taking their career in a direction they hadn’t considered before.
The World Economic Forum also reports that AI, big data and technology literacy are also increasingly vital skills. Which is why the most recent Future Ready Festival hosted a senior lecturer in Law, a researcher in how AI technologies are changing education, and a leader in co-designing wearable health technologies, services and systems who works internationally.
“We closely monitor issues being discussed in the media and our students were talking about AI and wondering how it will help shape their future, so we brought in people working in that space to share their knowledge,” says Catherine Johnston, Head of Careers & Pathways.
“I think students took a lot away from the experience. They understood that, with or without AI, to excel in the workplace you need to be a good human being with great communication and leadership skills.”
Learning from lived experience
As well as listening to the expert speakers, students select workshops hosted by leaders in their field who explain what their career entails, their journey so far and how they navigate challenges and changes in their industry.
The workshops brought together experts including Old Haileyburians. Dr Phil Marsh (OHA 2007) shared the high-pressure decision-making that is the reality of working in intensive care medicine. Dr Ty-ron Ching (OHA 1994) shared the twists and turns of his entrepreneurial careers in medicine, property development and biotechnology.
Kimberley Reid (OHA 2013), a research meteorologist, shared a typical day in the office for her, while Mitchel Stoneman (OHA 2010) explained what the future of work looks like in Australia, the fastest-growing industries, the roles that are in decline and the skills employers will be valuing most.
Other workshops showcased careers in galleries and museums, resume-writing, early graduate programs in banking, and how to carve out a career in the fast-paced world of consumer insights and marketing.
“We want to create events that expand horizons and let students hear the lived experiences of people who are at the top of their field,” says Catherine.
“The speakers encourage students to realise that it’s OK if you don’t have a clear career plan yet. They learn that you can change your plan and head in a different direction, and sometimes students discover a pathway they’d never heard about or considered before.”
Always future ready
This year, for the first time, the Future Ready Festival was extended to Year 9 students, too. Universities attended the careers expo so students could investigate degree courses and consider their Year 10 subject selections.
The Festival is just one element of a program that ensures students are confident and ready for future study and work. Work experience opportunities, industry partnerships, international trips and expeditions, one-on-one meetings to advise students on subject and course selections, and guest speakers are also part of the program.
“During a recent week, we had visits from the University of Tokyo, a sports scholar now in the US who returned to Haileybury to talk to students, and St Andrews University in Scotland,” says Catherine.
“We constantly look for ways to put options in front of students so they are aware of the many opportunities the future holds.”
In the meantime, in the classroom, Haileybury’s teachers continue to embed the knowledge, skills and the flexible and inquiring mindset that will help each student be future ready and have the confidence and skills to adapt to wherever their career and opportunities lead.
