Blog Three - Reimagining Education for the Job Market
A common complaint of many schoolchildren is that they do not use what they learn in the real world. While traditional education is fit for textbook knowledge, students wonder about the practical application of their learning. To address this, a new type of learning known as Industry-Based learning has gained popularity. Industry-Based education aims to connect academic concepts and practical experience. Teaching skills such as digital literacy, computer science, and coding, which are in high demand at this time, to students can hopefully make better job candidates and make what students learn in school more applicable in their daily lives. Reimagining Education for the Job Market focuses on schools changing their curriculum to match skills the job market needs, like programming skills, specifically Python. Learning languages such as Python and Java can give students an advantage over other potential job candidates who have yet to learn these languages. In a world where everything is slowly becoming digitized (take mail, for example), keeping learners up to date can provide many benefits. However, as with any proposed curriculum, this has its downsides.
Python is currently one of the most popular programming languages and is in high demand in today’s job market. In fact, as of now, over 10,000 job offerings show up when “Python” is searched on Indeed. If students were more equipped with the tools that the jobs of today require, how many more qualified candidates could apply for these jobs? Additionally, Python has many libraries (a collection of related functions so the programmer does not need to write the same code over and over again). Students can access a wealth of tutorials, examples, and experts and learn how to gather information from various places and use it in their work. This encourages students to look for resources to help them with their projects. Over time, they build up a knowledge of many libraries that they can use if needed. Also, the Python community is comprised of a wide range of people who come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of them are very helpful and friendly. Students can get an opportunity to be able to work with others and learn how to collaborate. Plus, these resources can inspire them to learn more and help them be lifelong learners. Since schools are supposed to prepare students for their future jobs, why not provide them with knowledge and skills that jobs will covet and value?
Despite the numerous benefits, there are also many challenges and downsides to introducing Python into the curriculum. To start, changing what classrooms teach takes a long time. Drafting lessons and deciding what concepts to teach takes years. Discussion among faculty, approvals from education leaders, and correcting inconsistencies in the curriculum are all essential but require time. On top of that, it will take time and effort to train teachers on this new curriculum. Only then can we implement it in the first group of students. After that, it will take many more years to see the results. Time itself is not the biggest problem, however. The problem is with the ever-changing world of programming languages like Python. By the time the first batch graduates with their knowledge of Python, it will become obsolete. Just like Python had 10,000 openings on Indeed, Java only has half as much, even though it used to be (and still is, but has been overtaken by Python) extremely popular. It is challenging to teach a subject that changes this constantly. For example, although new teaching methods may exist, basic mathematics stays mostly constant. In the world of computer science, this does not apply.
Furthermore, this does not help the real problem. The problem is that students must be better equipped with the knowledge they need in an ever-growing job market. The solution to this is not to change the curriculum. Instead, change the way we teach the curriculum so students have the opportunity to become lifelong learners and learn how to absorb information. If we teach the curriculum we already have well, students will practice learning things quickly. In an interview by Eduvoice with Dr. Dheeraj Sanghi, a director at Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh, he points out that “[Senior technical employees understand] that students who can learn things quickly will be great employees.” If we instead train students to be able to learn things quickly, the fact that they do not know something, such as Python, is less of a problem. If they are able to learn Python in a short time, then they will no longer be behind in the job market. So, instead of focusing on the specific skills needed for a career, we can focus on the bigger idea: the students who can learn these skills quickly will leave the ones who cannot behind.
Integrating Python (or other high-demand skills like it) into the curriculum has the potential to be an impactful step in educating the “digital generation.” Providing students with the opportunity to learn relevant and valuable skills will give them a more practical use for their learning. However, addressing the ever-changing world of technology and careers in general and focusing on the root of why students are not well-equipped for the job market is just as important. While this article primarily focuses on Python, much of the same thinking applies to other job skills being taught in schools. A change so education becomes more relevant to the industry is one to consider carefully.
