Every generation needs to adapt and find new skills and ways of doing things, says Dr Rosanna WONG, Senior Advisor to the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, one of many high-profile positions she has held in the course of a distinguished career in public service.
“We need to develop a new etiquette for a new tech world.” Dr Rosanna Wong
A range of factors including new technology, demographic trends and evolving social attitudes are fast changing traditional views about the world of work, and all signs suggest this revolution is set to continue apace in the years ahead.
That, though, should be no real cause for concern provided employers, educators, and individuals aiming to secure or retain a place in the workforce plan and prepare with sufficient foresight.
“In terms of work, the changes now are very marked, but I look at it positively, not negatively. Whenever there are developments like this, human beings can adapt, but to do so, education is very important, and we have to understand what kind of graduates and skill sets the market will need,” says Dr Rosanna Wong. Dr Wong has a distinguished record of public service including for the education sector as a member of the HKUST Business School Advisory Council and the former Chairperson of the Education Commission.
The impact of technological advances, Dr Wong notes, is the most obvious change, whether seen in the shift to digitalization, easier access to information, or the increasing speed at which business is done.
Apparent risks
However, there is a genuine risk that the lives of young people – and workers in general – can too easily become dominated or “overwhelmed” by technology. Therefore, those responsible for education and training must find a balance. They have to teach the effective use and “control” of high-tech tools and systems, so that individuals can meet new challenges and have the know-how to perform well and make a difference in their respective roles.
At the same time, though, it is essential to put greater emphasis on developing five areas of general, non-technical skills. To a large extent, these can be seen as “unchanging”, and possessing them makes it far easier to adapt, impress others, and keep moving in the right direction.
“These five skill sets are what the market needs,” Dr Wong says. “If you have them, you can do all kinds of jobs; with them, you have mobility within the workforce. Every employer is looking for young people with these abilities, and I don’t think that will change.”
The list begins with basic knowledge, specific to a discipline, broad in perception, and sufficiently up to date. This is a fundamental requirement for any role.
After that come interpersonal relations and communication skills. Many people believe they are strong in these areas, perhaps citing examples of their social media profile or frequent use of instant messaging. But Dr Wong sees things differently and stresses the need for significant all-round improvement.
“Nowadays, communication skills in Hong Kong are very weak,” she says. “For example, if writing or speaking English, many students can’t express themselves clearly. A lot of employers say [jobseekers] very often can’t even write a letter, let alone a grammatically correct sentence.”
Better communication
To help address this problem – and prepare students for the world of work - she suggests that universities should not just have a language centre, but also make it compulsory for first-year students to improve both their written and spoken communication skills.
“Young people may have a lot of ideas, but they lack confidence and cannot put their ideas into words,” she says. “I find they don’t look you in the eye when speaking, which also indicates a lack of basic and good social manners. I believe that young people are far too worried about making mistakes.”
“I’m very concerned about the lowering standards of communication, and think schools and universities should do something very bold to change the ‘social balance’ and not let technology simply dominate. We also need to develop a new etiquette for a new tech world. Universities and schools have to look at their student population and make people employable, not just in terms of knowledge, but with the other skill sets too.”
Of the five skill sets needed, Dr Wong also includes being innovative, or creative, and having the ability to solve problems. She sees the way ahead is to encourage interactive learning in the classroom, getting students to share their ideas and thoughts, and not stick to the traditional one-way approach where it is assumed the teacher automatically knows more.
“There are different ways of learning now; through experimentation, exploration, and realizing things are not black and white or rigidly right or wrong,” Dr Wong says. “Young people must be allowed to think out of the box and not just focus on passing exams or getting a better CV.”
She adds that new technology may mean the future workplace has less or more different jobs than we know now, anyone equipped with these five skills will always be in demand.
Dr Wong also believes that universities and schools could do more in helping students map out their lives, so they understand not only their interests and strengths, but also what the market needs. Only then can they realistically evaluate the prospects and expectations from different career paths.
“We promote education for all, but there is a mismatch when it comes to finding jobs,” Dr Wong says. “Therefore, we also need retraining to raise the standard of vocational skills to university level and to use big data to understand the changing market environment. It’s happening, but not quick nor efficiently enough.”
Dr Rosanna Wong
- Senior Advisor of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
- Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
- Member of the HKUST Business School Advisory Council
- Former Member of the Executive and Legislative Councils