The 21st century and the industry 4.0 demand very specific professional profiles, today difficult to get from our educational institutions.
The point of departure for education to adapt to new times is the recognition that knowledge is currently on the internet (online), and that the role of the teacher in the classroom is changing.
Once this principle is accepted, as well as the fact that new generations of students are only willing to receive a less formal education, more practical and flexible and focused on developing their creativity, it is easier to determine the role of educational institutions.
Schools and universities tend towards the end of the master classes, where teachers stop being a pure transmitter of knowledge to become a guide for the students in their learning process, generating doubts -for the students to solve them-, acquiring by this process the knowledge without almost realizing (flipped classroom).
There are other roles that the educational institutions should play such as those related with the production of high quality digital content (although market-orientated private companies are pushing ahead), certification or validation of degrees and continuous training, key element in an ever-changing and disruptive world.
Schools and universities that do not adapt to these new roles are at risk of disappearing. According to Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) half of these institutions will cease to exist within the next ten years.
On the other hand, companies demand alternative types of curriculums based on features such as:
- Flexibility (tailored curriculums designed to meet students or companies expectations).
- Interdisciplinary knowledge.
- Less emphasis on educational qualifications but for promoting that so-called soft-skills; in other words, other aspects that nowadays are rarely detailed in a curriculum such as team leadership, personal skills, empathy, change-oriented approach, willingness to move abroad, etc.
Summarizing, the society of the 21st century and the industry 4.0 demand a very specific professional profile, difficult to provide by today’s educational institutions for which reason those of said institutions that do not adapt to new requirements, will disappear.
