About

Are young people planning their careers as they have in the past, or are they beginning to think in a wider European context?

 

Given that 74% of business leaders believe that young people are not prepared to operate in a multicultural economy, and that 79% say knowledge of the wider world is more important than an academic degree (Leeds DEC: 2012) do schools need to re-evaluate how we as educators are preparing our students to succeed in today’s rapidly changing globalized world? According to 93% of the business leaders asked, the answer is a resounding – YES.

 

And where does this fit when a recent German study found out that 70% of the decisions that young people take about their future profession are influenced by the parents? This in spite of the fact that most parents are not fully informed or aware of the ever-changing expectations that the professional world now places on new employees.

 

Our staff, students and communities have specific ideals engrained in their minds of education and future occupations because the majority of them have only ever heard of, seen or been part of one education system for many years and have then progressed to follow the same occupation routes as many of those within their community. This project will give them the opportunity to see new strategies for career success because they will get to share new experiences and work with new friends beyond their insular landscape.

 

We aim to show our children the positive impact that European equality and migration can have on their future decisions by challenging them with activities that will require them to collaborate, coordinate and reflect with others. They will see how others in Europe can positively influence their decisions, change their perspectives, challenge their prejudices, defy their misconceptions and ultimately affect their chosen career path. However, we will make sure that we do not lose our sense of identity.

 

A sense of identity that some people believe is being challenged by migration because they have only had the opportunity to see migration in a negative light, not in a positive, progressive light that can open up brand new prospects to a closed community.

 

We want to get our communities to see how education systems differ across Europe so that we can work together to discuss which ones are the most progressive and which ones are close to extinction. The aim is that we will all work in conjunction with one another to establish activities that can be woven into our curriculum to support a 21st Century career path. Tasks that will begin in the primary school, but that will also be an integral part of secondary education.

 

Activities that business leaders will recognise as vital to a persons understanding and appreciation of the global world around them because they will have had the opportunity to provide input, to provide challenges, to ask the important questions that will take children out of their comfort zone and into a more dynamic, broadminded, progressive and open source curriculum.

 

Once we have explored the changes to the curriculum, we will then need to examine role of a 21st Century school. From the role of its educators, to the learning environment, the technology, the structure – even the design of the building. What could we change to provide the most effect means of support to our learners and their new curriculum? Especially when we are preparing them for jobs that don’t even exist yet.

 

Each region involved in this project has a strong traditional industry that once thrived and enabled generations of families to establish a sense of identity within that community. We want the children to recognise, appreciate and take pride in the historical significance of their area. However, we also want them to consider how their community is at the moment and then to work with others to decide on innovative strategies that can be put in place within the business and education sectors to enable further growth and expansion. We want them to see what impact they can have on their area and beyond by working with others so that they will have the enthusiasm, understanding and resources available to enable them to succeed anywhere. We want the children to embrace the skills that we undoubtedly have within our own regions, but to also learn from others about how to best channel these through opening ourselves up to the wider world, to wider perspectives and to wider opportunities.