Levy, F., & Murnane, R. J. (2004). The new division of labor: How computers are creating the next job market. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

The primary reason for this is our unlimited access to ever-increasing amounts of information. As noted by Berkeley researchers; the quantity of information produced between 1999-2002 alone was equal to all the information ever produced before in the history of the world. And this amount doubles every two years.

Tweet

The quantity of information available on the
Internet doubles every two years.
This onslaught has radically changed the skills
we need for everyday life.

---

The key skills of the industrial era focused more on mastering a trade, following rules, respecting authority, and professionalism: efficiency, integrity, and a sense of balance. Whilst still important in the information age, these skills no longer form the basis of excellence.

Rethinking cognition

Today, it’s necessary to be able to construct convincing arguments, question the available information, be a creative presenter and a team player, and communicate clearly, all at the same time. Information is changing faster than ever before. To keep up, we must be able to adapt, take the initiative, and produce unexpected results in both substance and form.

These skills are presented in a variety of different ways. In 2002, AOL, Cisco, Microsoft, and the US Education Ministry helped launch the first initiative on this subject; P21,the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.

Another large-scale initiative, called ATC21S, Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills, was started in 2009. In many developed countries, expert groups focus on these issues, including the Education Ministry in the Netherlands, UNESCO, the UN, and an association of 35 universities.

Many thousands of schools and organizations are working on 21^st century skills.

International consensus about 21^st century skills

One classification has gained such consensus that it was selected by the OECD to create its new reference for measuring skills in student populations. The 12 critical 21^st century skills are divided into three categories:

Learning and Innovation skills (the 4Cs):

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Creativity and Innovation
• Collaboration
• Communication

Literacy skills:

• Information
• Media
• ICT

Life and Career skills:

• Flexibility & Adaptability
• Initiative & Self Direction
• Sociability & Cross-Cultural Skills
• Productivity & Accountability
• Leadership & Responsibility

See the definitions for these competencies in the P21 framework definitions document.

Although all these skills are important in fostering the world’s future intellectuals, four of them are fundamental to individual success. These are the 4Cs, the cognitive skills which facilitate complex problem-solving: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Communication.

The 4Cs—the skills now driving performance: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Communication.

Performance crisis

In 2015, the Ed Design Lab investigated recruiters’ perceptions surrounding performance skills. The 4Cs were the most sought-after, as well as resilience, empathy, the ability to mobilize others, and inter-cultural understanding.

By neglecting this subject, France is lagging behind in terms of the new, indispensable competitive advantage: human capital. The human capital of a country describes the sum total of the knowledge and skills possessed by its people. The quantity and quality of this capital determines the country’s economic performance.

Nowadays, when performance depends on the ability to access, organize, and apply information to solve new problems, developing the 4Cs is fundamental, as is finding the individuals who have mastered them.

Changing times

The first step to a wider adoption of 21^st century skills is learning how to discover, measure and assess these skills. After that, it’s over to educators to learn how to teach and develop them. Finally, recruiters have to embrace the skills and help employees and candidates to continue developing them.

We need to move away from old evaluation models and find innovative ways to assess today’s skills.

Thanks to the advancements made over the last 15 years regarding cognitive skills, creativity can now be assessed much more appropriately.. However, when it comes to interpersonal skills such as communication and collaboration, we are still holding on to pre-21^st century conceptions, thus they are much more difficult to assess fairly and effectively.

In order to remain competitive, France must rethink its education system, and companies must re-evaluate their recruiting methods and criteria.

The whole French system needs an overhaul, particularly the national education system, psychometrics, and HR. There’s a long road ahead, with a fair bit of resistance, so let’s get going. After all, our American and Canadian cousins are only 15 years ahead.