Lebanon’s Social Explosion Dilemma
The future is difficult to foresee, which makes creating ideas like “future ready” and “skills for the future” difficult to apply. The drastic transition brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has given us a new perspective on how future generations should plan for the uncertain. Growth of technology, digitalization, and the harnessing of data are forcing upon us periods of dramatic and extensive transition and the effect of COVID-19 has accelerated this transformation. One of the most difficult topics to dissect is the definition of employability in the modern age. In a highly digital environment, one of the most difficult things to find is the skills that are missing. Universities around the world are under pressure to increase the employability of their students while still trying to compete with the accelerated speed of transition and the diverse skills that the Fourth Industrial Revolution entails. The questions to be addressed are: What qualifications will prospective employers be looking for in graduating students? What skills are students going to need to succeed in the forthcoming workplace? How will universities adjust their collaboration with strategic suppliers to provide cross-cutting skills? And how do they guarantee that everybody can have access to these skills? The findings of the “Future of Jobs” report published end of the year 2020 reveal some skills that will be required in a post-pandemic world. Efforts to define roles and job functions more consistently around skills are becoming more common. According to the “Future of Jobs”, the World Economic Forum’s report, half of all workforce would need reskilling by 2025, and 40 percent of existing workers’ basic skills are likely to change over the coming five years.