How Can Tanzania Students Prepare For Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet?

Like anywhere in the world, youths in Tanzania are entering the 4th Industrial Revolution which comes with unprecedented challenges and change. 

Among the challenges coming with Industry 4.0 is an increasing uncertainty of what jobs will look like in the future. It is even harder in developing countries like Tanzania where, given the education system that favors assessments and grading, most of the students graduate with incompetent skills for the existing job market. How will they be ready for the jobs that don’t exist yet? 

Technology, which is a major factor for the industry 4.0 is reshaping existing jobs, displacing others with new ones. Today, we have job roles that 20 years ago were only imagined in Sci-Fi movies. 

Can you imagine how many new jobs have been created or are about to be created following the growth of e-marketing, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing or BlockChain? 

The 2019 World Development Report predicted that our children who are currently in primary schools will work as adults in jobs that don’t even exist yet. We don’t have to wait for them to grow up to know this is true. Because it is already happening. My degree was already outdated by the time I was graduating. It was no longer needed in the job market. The years of sleepless nights studying in the hopes of getting a job winded up in vain. I just had to look at other skills I had that were in demand. I was lucky to have some digital skills that helped me navigate my way into digital marketing —a field I have grown passionate about and constantly learning to master it well.

Our children who are currently in primary schools will work as adults in jobs that don’t even exist yet.

World Development Report, 2019

Getting ready for the uncertainty 

Living in today’s world requires doing one important thing: to become a lifelong learner. The skills we graduated with three years ago may not fit in current demands. There is a constant need to update our skills in our areas of specialties so we can stand a chance in the future workforce. 

Investing in soft skills will carry you even further. Unlike hard skills which are industry-specific, Soft skills (or Transferable Skills) are needed in any job field, they never run out of fashion and they cannot be replaced by robots. It is said that hard skills will give you the interview, Soft skills will give you the job. 

According to LinkedIn, these are the top 5 soft skills most companies want in 2020. 

1. Creativity
2. Persuasion 
3. Collaboration 
4. Adaptability 
5. Emotional Intelligence. 

However, soft skills are not that ‘soft’. They are hard to develop. Building these skills require a strong investment in human capital, especially from childhood level.  Our government should give priority to early childhood development to prepare children to thrive in future careers with resilience, leadership, and adaptability skills. 

What the future holds

The 2018 World Economic Forum report predicted that about 133 million new job roles will emerge by 2022. The question to ask yourself: are you preparing yourself to seize possible opportunities brought by a new wave of technological innovations? Stay on the lookout by updating yourself with new skills and trends in your industry. 

What new jobs have you currently noticed in your workplace?

Links in this article 

• What is the 4th Industrial Revolution?, World Economic Forum 
• Digital Skills for Career Development, Vijana Fm
• The Skills Companies Need Most in 2020, LinkedIn
• Why Millenials Need Soft Skills