It is critical that contemporary education systems think carefully about what they are doing to prepare young people for the future. Due to a rapidly changing world, the most sought-after jobs across the globe are currently those that have only existed in the last decade (WEF, 206). The challenge that education faces today is that 65% of primary school students will find themselves undertaking employment in occupations that still do not exist (WEF, 206). Due to this uncertainty, education must prepare students with future skills that equips them to undertake the unknown jobs of the future. Analysing the vocational, academic and humanist philosophies in relation to these challenges is imperative to understand what the best educational approach in todays society may be.
A vocational approach has strengths when addressing the issues identified by the WEF. According to learning guide 2, (p. ) the vocational philosophy argues that education is for preparing young people for adult roles. A vocational approach aims to persevere society by prov
iding students with hands-on, practical experience of existing vocations which prepares them to gain employment in these particular occupations (Kennedy, 20). Through hands-on, practical experience of existing jobs, students gain transferable 2st century skills which, as iterated by WEF (206) are essential for individuals to take full advantage of the opportunities described by the current employment trends. Existing vocations present plenty of opportunities to solve problems (Learning Guide 2, p. 4). Problem-solving skills are expected to become even more significant in future workplaces as these skills are not likely to be replaced computers (Tytler et al., 209). Additionally, the transmission of the knowledge and skills relevant to specific existing vocations occurs through communication from adults to young people (Dewey, 96). Thus, students gain interpersonal skills such as communication and active listening which Tytler et al. (209) explains will be demanded by future workplaces as machines have difficulty with social intelligence.