A number of education specialists and experts around the world pointed out that there are two trends forming a major challenge to the education system: the shift from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy, and the changing motivations of the new generation growing up with technology and the internet.

This underscores the importance of rethinking education to bridge what is known as the "global achievement gap" — the leap between what schools teach and the future skills required. Through researching the most important skills needed by today's students to prepare them for the future job market, academic and student-skills-focused websites listed a number of future skills that must be developed in students.

Research criteria:

We collected skills from academic websites, skills-focused websites, and official university websites

The number of sources used in the research was 49

The top 10 future skills with the highest frequency in research sources were selected

Three questions were posed for each skill:

What does the student need to master the skill?

How can the student acquire the skill in the school environment?

What will the student gain from the skill, and how will it affect their personality and future?

1 Problem Solving:

It is considered an essential skill in daily life and develops with practice and experience. Some define this skill as "what you do when you don't know what to do."

What does the student need?

Analytical thinking

Critical thinking

Initiative

Logical thinking

Persistence

How to acquire it?

Identify the problem and break it down into parts to make it easier to handle and find solutions

Know the given data and unknowns in the problem

Encourage students to ask questions

Evaluate potential solutions

Practice and train on solving different types of problems

What does the student gain?

Stimulating motivation for learning

Training to face life's problems and ability to make decisions

Developing a spirit of innovation and creativity, and viewing the problem from different angles

Building self-confidence and not fearing mistakes

Fostering independence in work

2 Creativity and Innovation:

Includes creating new ideas, methods, and ways of looking at things or making valuable products. Creativity and innovation both rely on persistence and perseverance to follow up on new ideas and develop them.

What does the student need?

Ability to form ideas

Decision-making

Design

Collaborative work

Unbiased thinking

How to acquire it?

Analyze and redefine the problem to discover new ways of looking at it

Pose thoughtful questions and issues to develop thinking and creativity

Observe hidden connections between unrelated things

Search for ways to improve existing solutions

Recognize alternative possibilities

Utilize technology to serve creativity

What does the student gain?

Mastering the search for knowledge sources

Enhancing critical thinking

Improving communication and ability to express personal ideas and opinions

Training in the art of listening to others' opinions and dealing with them critically

Flexibility and endurance, ignoring negative comments from others

Facing challenges and stepping out of the comfort zone

Not following a specific routine

3 Critical Thinking:

This skill relies on accurately investigating facts, discussing them, evaluating them, and drawing conclusions in an objective, logical, and sound manner, away from subjective factors such as emotional influence, prior ideas, or traditional opinions.

What does the student need?

Searching for information

Identifying biases

Inferring and linking results

Curiosity

Logical thinking

How to acquire it?

Ask open-ended questions and provide opportunities for discussion in a healthy environment

Encourage creativity and discovery to strengthen observation ability

Utilize interactive games that stimulate thinking of new ways to win

Stimulate curiosity through improvisation and thinking of innovative questions

Present examples and encourage thinking about the appropriate example

Organize ideas, discover relationships between them, and find similarities and differences

What does the student gain?

Becomes a seeker of truth with an open mind

Sets priorities and makes decisions according to a scientific methodology

Changes misconceptions and confronts harmful ideas, rumors, and habits

Ability to analyze, connect, infer, and observe well and accurately

Evaluates opinions and solves problems objectively without bias or subjectivity

Distinguishes between opinion and fact, and reaches sound logical conclusions

Ability to think based on argument, evidence, and proof

Overcomes intellectual disorder

4 Emotional Intelligence:

This skill measures an individual's ability to recognize and manage their own emotions as well as those of others, helping students succeed by maintaining their psychological state and reducing their suffering from depression.

What does the student need?

Self-awareness

Self-regulation

Motivation

Empathy

Social skills

How to acquire it?

Encourage the student to interact and be more open and receptive to others' perspectives and needs

Learn to give others a chance, but without shyness and introversion

Self-assessment to identify and accept weaknesses and work on strengthening deficient areas

Interact with stressful situations, remain calm, and keep emotions under control

Take responsibility, monitor behavior, and apologize when wrong

What does the student gain?

Providing positive feedback and communicating effectively when dealing with stress

Raising academic intelligence as a result of overcoming psychological pressures affecting the learning process and information retrieval and processing

Building and maintaining effective relationships

Recognizing emotions and psychological state and dealing with them effectively

Using emotions to solve real-world problems

High self-awareness, and thus the ability to coexist with oneself and the surrounding environment

Self-fulfillment by balancing duties, desires, and goals

5 Communication:

Communication is classified as a tool for expressing the needs of individuals and groups, and it plays a major role in shaping the student's personality and ability to convey their thoughts and feelings.

What does the student need?

Listening

Non-verbal communication

Politeness, warmth, and empathy

Open-mindedness and respect for others

Responding clearly and concisely

How to acquire it?

Watch films that represent typical conversation skills and note body language, eye contact, response, and quotation

Utilize technology, including audiobooks and apps, to hear various speaking styles and acquire new words and vocabulary

Enhance active listening skills by reading selected texts aloud and then discussing them with the class

Give group presentations to increase teamwork skills and provide opportunities to discuss opinions

Ask informal open-ended questions to stimulate debate and demonstrate that there are multiple answers to one question

Reflective learning through students evaluating their own performance and providing constructive criticism to each other

What does the student gain?

Acquiring listening skills, understanding teachers' perspectives in class, and gaining more knowledge

Forming strong new friendships as a result of quality verbal and non-verbal communication with others

Enhancing teamwork and collaboration by acquiring positive behaviors

Raising professional competence and self-confidence

Effective communication in group activities and listening to others' opinions to reach new conclusions

Improving focus and enhancing memory

Mastering verbal dialogue and body language

6 Collaboration and Teamwork: