Identifying Key Skills for the Future of Work and the Assessments to Build Them

Abstract

Identifying skills for the future of work and how assessment design and implementation can help support the building of these skills are necessary to support learners in this era of technological disruption. The acceleration of various forms of disruptive technologies, from automation and the expansion of artificial intelligence, the increasing embeddedness of remote collaboration and communication technologies, and the expansion of the gig economy, are rapidly transforming the interconnected realities of work and learning. As such, the article sets to do the following: (1) identify key skills, mindsets and knowledge required to succeed in the future of work; (2) assess various technological, economic and other factors that are transforming the landscape of work and learning; (3) explore the role of curriculum and instructional design, particularly community-engaged learning, in creating opportunities for learners to develop and practice key skills, mindsets and knowledge; and (4) explain how post-secondary institutions, including polytechnics, are ideal sites for a more robust alignment of skill development and assessment design.