Importance of Quality Education for Young People
Population growth in the European Union (EU) is expected to decrease by 4%, or 20 million, from the present to the year 2100. The peak during this time is expected to be as soon as 2044. The implications this will have on EU policy and presently taking place is that more funds will be dedicated towards artificial intelligence (AI) to make up for the shortage in labour (European Commission, 2021). More specifically, through the Digital Europe and Horizon Europe programmes, the Commission plans to invest €1 billion per year in AI. It will mobilise additional investments from the private sector and the Member States in order to reach an annual investment volume of €20 billion over the course of this decade (European Commission, 2019).
One of the biggest concerns affecting young people today is that the adoption of AI will continue to cause significant job losses. This is especially true for low-level and middle-level skilled jobs. On the one hand, it actually represents a threat to young people and, on the other, it is an opportunity for various stakeholders in education. As AI takes over, new jobs will begin to emerge that will require young people to have both technical and interpersonal skills in the workplace. The type of technical skills would include digital, programming and computer literacy. From interpersonal point of view, young people would have to develop digital emotional intelligence, social skills to work with managers and decision makers and leadership. These sets of skills and competencies will become highly sought-after by organisations as young people will be expected to work alongside AI and be able to use large datasets to produce knowledge that would inform the decisions of managers. All of this would occur on various digital platforms and there will also be a need to improve the way we communicate in the online world.
The fourth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations is quality education. This goal is set out to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. However, in order to achieve this goal, it is important that learning environments are accessible to young people and that they are also fit-for-purpose for the 21st century. This includes making sure that the skills and competencies that are being taught at educational institutions are constantly re-examined and brought into alignment with the needs of the labour market and with helping young people find fulfilment in what they do. Non-formal and informal education does a lot to support the formally established educational system. It serves as a means to help young people address their personal skills gap. Being part of the GiLE Foundation, or any other purpose-driven NGO that focusses on education, provides you with an opportunity to make a social impact through youth empowerment and by advocating for quality education for all.
European Commission, 2019. Liability for Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies. [online] European Union, p.1. Available at: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/european-approach-artificial-intelligence [Accessed 12 April 2021].
European Commission, 2021. Shaping Europe’s digital future – A European approach to Artificial intelligence. [Online] European Union, p.1. Available at: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/european-approach-artificial-intelligence