So far in our Educating for the Future blog series, we have looked at the education of the past and discussed why supporting students to develop nine key skills in three categories – Human, Analytical and Enterprise – is key to ensuring that they are prepared for tomorrow’s world. We also defined our understanding of Human Skills and why they are fundamental.
In this article, we focus on Enterprise Skills – why they are important and how we are developing them at CGS.
The challenge
In a rapidly changing world, we need to consider newly emerging challenges and ensure that young people understand the effect these could have on enterprise and the world we live in. These include:
- Environmental challenges – such as climate change and depleting natural resources
- Economic challenges – such as globalisation and technological innovations which pose security and privacy risks
- Social challenges – including growing populations, urbanisation, and cultural and social impacts.
Taking this into account, we believe there is a need for education to recognise these changes and adapt accordingly.
Why are Enterprise Skills important in education?
Fostering ‘Enterprise Skills’ in our students is more than just knowing about business – it is a combination of mindset and skills, including looking at challenges in different ways.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are major drivers of global economic growth – with 90 per cent of the global business population representing SMEs. Monster’s Future of Work Report 2022 shows that one of the main challenges for employers is finding candidates with the right skills – it is, therefore, vital that we acknowledge this in education.
“Through encouraging students to develop their understanding of Entrepreneurship, Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy, we ensure they have the knowledge and skills needed to transition from education to the world of work. These skills allow our students to develop enterprise-focused traits, such as resilience, risk-taking, perspective-taking and self-belief, traits that are not only needed by students who go on to set up their own businesses but also those joining established organisations, aiming to drive innovation and long-term success.”
Craig Wilson
Executive Principal, CATS Global Schools
An overview of the three ‘Enterprise Skills’
At CGS, we understand the challenges of the modern world – we help overcome these by focusing on three ‘Enterprise Skills’: Entrepreneurship, Digital Literacy and Global Citizenship.
Here we explain our understanding of the three Enterprise Skills and share some of the initiatives across our schools that have been implemented to help build these skills.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship requires innovation, a strong knowledge of the industry or market, and adaptability in business. The future world requires regular innovation and thought leadership to maintain a competitive advantage. Therefore, our students need to be equipped with the innate ability to take risks, continuously learn and do things differently – in order to innovate and create change.
Building a sustainable enterprise at CSVPA
CSVPA help students to develop ‘Enterprise Skills’ and prepare them for the world of work – 90% of CSVPA students were in work 6 months after graduating4.
Former BA Fashion student, Hana Harris, developed her ‘Entrepreneurship’ skills whilst studying at CSVPA. She created a sustainable childrenswear brand, Scraps, consisting of clothing, prints and accessories – all designed with minimal ecological impact. Through developing these skills, Hana was also selected to showcase her work at Graduate Fashion Week 2021.
Image of children wearing Hana Harris’ Scraps collection (Photo credit: Luke Baker via Scraps Instagram)
Digital Literacy
Expert digital literacy is non-negotiable for our students, and it provides knowledge and skills to use technology in the future workforce. This is not only limited to communication and regular use of current technology but also includes having a firm understanding of what the future holds and how technology can be fully integrated into the world of work.
Experiencing a world-class information platform at CATS London
At CATS London, our Bloomberg Business Lab gives students the opportunity to develop their ‘Entrepreneurship’ skills. CATS London was the first school in Europe to offer the Bloomberg Business Lab, which allows students to experience the real world of business and finance in the classroom – with access to the same information platform as that used by decision-makers in business, finance, and government.
Students can learn how to use a Bloomberg Terminal and take an e-learning module to get Bloomberg certified. A business curriculum has also been developed, exposing users to different aspects of the Terminal, such as conducting research and interpreting the key news developments that impact the global economy.
Global Citizenship
The lines between nations and industries are increasingly blurred and the decade ahead will see a truly global distributed workforce like never before. One major trend is the rise of the distributed workforce over the globe. To be successful, students must understand the role of globalisation in society and approach their work from the perspective of global citizenship.
Developing a global perspective at CATS Canterbury
CATS Canterbury students commemorate the Holocaust annually, through a programme consisting of a range of workshops. This helps give students important historical context and allows them to develop a global perspective.
“Remembering the Holocaust and other genocides is so important. It’s an essential part of any young person’s understanding of the global political community we share and our place within it. So, it was very pleasing to see how sensitively and intelligently our students engaged with our commemoration event.”
Mark Hopkinson
Teacher, CATS Canterbury
Summary
The future is dependent on the next generations. Enterprise Skills are – and will continue to be – an essential part of success. It is not only the role of schools to develop ‘Enterprise Skills’; businesses also need to support students and upskill them to ensure they are prepared for tomorrow’s world. For example, Barclays have developed resources, projects and skill-building initiatives with their ‘Life Skills’ programme. Through teaching these skills in both education and business, we can inspire the next generation of world shapers and equip young people with the tools they need to make a difference.
In the final article of the series, we will discuss ‘Analytical Skills’ – which we believe will be the cornerstone of all future work skills.
Sources and notes
1. https://www.oecd.org/education/2030-project/teaching-and-learning/learning/learning-compass-2030/OECD_Learning_Compass_2030_Concept_Note_Series.pdf
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/business-population-estimates-2021/business-population-estimates-for-the-uk-and-regions-2021-statistical-release-html
3. https://learnmore.monster.com/future-of-work
4. 90% of CSVPA students were in work 6 months after graduating in 2020
5. https://barclayslifeskills.com
