Top 12 Skills Students Need to Be Successful in Future

Skill is a learned power of doing something competently; a developed aptitude or ability to do something well.

It is seen in this age that securing a job is based on one's skills, including what one has to offer and not the school certificate alone. This is becoming a bigger problem in Nigeria as the unemployment rate keeps increasing, and the rate of enrollment for schooling also increases simultaneously.

Students who plan to be successful would know that this is a big threat. It is no fact that there is a big competition in the employment market and so any student who plans to achieve great success will have to possess certain skills that will make them stand out from others. This will even as well improve the economic growth of the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), as of 2020, 23.2 million people were unemployed, still also in the same year, the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) quoted a number of 28 million children enrolled in elementary education. The report also showed that the country has over two million undergraduates. 

Following these calculations, it could be noted that approximately 47% of students will be employed in jobs that do not exist yet, and they will need to develop the skills that they will need to succeed in a future filled with uncertainty. 

In Nigeria, the contribution to the rise in the unemployment rate is a result of skill mismatch in the job market. This was cited in research by Ringier One Africa Media (ROAM).

As revealed by ROAM, 90 percent of job applicants are not qualified for the jobs they apply for, even though some are qualified for other jobs.

As time is changing, learning also changes, and students with the aim for success should prioritize more on developing skills and thinking that will prepare them for navigating the real world after school. The workplace is rapidly evolving, schools must adapt, and students must conform. 

After speaking with various business leaders and hearing from various educators, it became clear that there are important skills needed by students, that will sell them better on the path to success. 

From gatherings, it is observed that there is less demand for obedient workers who can simply show up on time and follow directions, and there is an increased demand for self-directed workers who can adapt and learn quickly, think critically, communicate and innovate. And this is where these various skills come in.

1. Adaptive Thinking: 

As things change for an upgrade in the digital age, by the time employees learn the newest software or program, a better version is coming about. Students who see themselves as future employers will need to continuously adapt to changing conditions as well as be able to learn new things quickly and efficiently. Students need to learn how to learn. 

Citing from my experience, I remember when I took a computer science course then and came out top. Coming to the job market there was a lot of upgrades that I needed to adapt to.

In the workspace, adaptability extends beyond the ability to stand out from the crowd. It is about achieving our full potential and releasing ourselves from the restrictions of mental blocks. Through change, we are able to broaden our skill sets, and capacities, and redefine our identities.

2. Collaboration Skills: 

Most hiring businesses seek employees who can collaborate well. To achieve organizational objectives and maintain a productive workplace, collaboration is both beneficial and essential in almost every job.

Future employers, especially those who will find themselves in a digital space, or in a remote working space, will need to have a culture of collaboration. 

Now with the advance in remote working, collaboration skills enable one to successfully work toward a common goal with others.

Employers often look for candidates that can work well in a team environment and are prepared to strike a balance between personal accomplishment and team goals. 

Understanding different points of view, managing everyone's priorities, and living up to expectations as dependable team members are all parts of this skill.

Collaboration tools here

3. Communication Skills: 

According to interviewed business owners, one's communication skill is the sole bridge of a business network. This skill becomes much more needed now In the digital age where we have access to a wide variety of new ways to communicate from video-conferencing to social media. 

Future employers need to be able to communicate with people within their team, as well as people outside of the team and organization.

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The ability to successfully communicate in a workplace is a crucial business skill that unites teams and encourages a collaborative work ethic.

Possessing effective communication skill as an employee or employer mitigates conflict, maintains a relationship with colleagues/staff, fuels innovation, builds existing skills, promote productivity, increases job satisfaction, and boosts teamwork and trust.

4. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: 

The world continuously changes, and jobs and skills that are currently in demand may become obsolete in the coming years. 

Critical thinking abilities enable one to think quickly on feet, assess problems, and find the best solutions. In most cases, answers are not provided right away.

Critical thinking skills are among the most in demand in almost every industry and workplace.

There is a decreased emphasis on employers following directions and an increased emphasis on employers thinking critically and solving problems.

 In this rapidly changing world, employers need employees who can solve problems, provide ideas and help improve the organization.

5. Technology Skills: 

In this age, technology is everywhere. Schools, however, have been slow to adapt to this change, I know this. Rarely are students required or taught to learn the latest technology efficiently. This needs to be emphasized.

Technology has made our lives easier, increased our access to knowledge, and changed the way we do business. Many seem comfortable with the current technology level, but we should know that the tech that awaits in the future is more advance than this current state.

The adult world moves quickly. Technology is constantly evolving. It is critical to understand the various technologies and how to use them. Students who are comfortable learning new technologies adapt better to technological change.

With the recent sentiment of various businesses that employees have to be skilled at using technology,  this is a skill that should not slip into the hands of students of the 21st century.

6. Creativity and Innovation: 

This skill is mentioned often during all interviews made so far with different business bosses. It correlates with the ability to ask good questions and the ability to problem solve. Employers will be looking to employees more and more for creative and innovative solutions to issues that exist

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Creativity brings out the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others. 

Innovation showcases the implementation of ideas that result in the introduction or development of something new, as well as seeking for improvements.

Having the creativity and innovative skill as a future employee or someone who wants to reach high will establish a personal uniqueness, as this skill helps individuals have a lasting value.

7.  Soft Skills: 

Soft skill is an area of expertise that deals with the interaction between people including personality, attitude, flexibility, motivation, and manners. They are non-technical skills

Soft skills are a combination of people skills, social skills, communication skills, character or personality traits, attitudes, career attributes, social intelligence, and emotional intelligence quotients that enable employees to navigate their environment, work well with others, perform well and achieve their goals with complementing hard skills.

Apart from specific institutes which experts in teaching these, schools rarely spend time teaching students soft skills, including skills such as time management skills, organizational skills, the ability to 

look someone in the eyes when talking to them, or use a firm handshake. 

8. Inquiry Skills:

 Apart from educational institutions that specialize in this, in most cases due to some courses,

 the majority of academic assessments ask students for answers. Rarely do schools assess students on how well they can ask questions? The ability to ask great questions, however, is a critical skill that is desperately needed in a culture that requires constant innovations.

9. Empathy and Perspective:  

This is one important skill that shows the ability of students to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, strengthen their ability to connect with others, understand their feelings, help to solve problems and develop a broader view of the world.

This skill improves communication, strengthens working relationships, boosts creative thinking, increases sales and investment opportunities,  enhances customer service, and also has impacts during job interviews.

10. Entrepreneurship skills:  

This skill will be in favor of those who plan to stay independent, be self-employed, or own a start-up. entrepreneurship skills are the expertise of learning how to create and manage a business venture.

This is a skill needed to be a good entrepreneur or business owner

The knowledge will help one to establish and manage a business.

11. Handwork: 

Handwork is a skill that involves physical labor to provide services to people. They are jobs that you perform with your hands.

It includes craft works, art, engineering, construction, carpentry, food services, manufacturing, etc.

12. Digital Skill: 

This differs from the earlier said technology Skill. Digital skills are expertise that uses digital tools to solve problems. 

Digital skills are hard skills that involve technicality, sometimes using the internet or a computing system to offer services. 

Digital skills include copywriting, UX design, programming, Blockchain, machine learning, basic coding, design, testing, word processing, etc.

Here are top pay digital skills to learn which as made a lot successful today

Having potential students with the above skills is sure to help create a more successful path, being an asset and not a liability.

I hope the you enjoy this post.

Do education even matters in the first place if you can just have all these skills and be successful