Countering the rise of robots with "Work experience"

Following the theme across several blog posts this year, caught up with some of the drivers to extend university based learning beyond the 'ivory tower'. Stuff, in June, wrote about three in ten NZ jobs being automated in some way by 2036. Then a couple of articles on the role of work placements or work experience to help students fight the rise of machines and a today online article on the rise of  intelligent machines.

Then a megatrends report from infometrics for NZ with summary from NZ Herald. Basically, the quantitative data indicate the following trends:

economic – automation (31%  of jobs at high risk) – provincial and rural jobs – 44% low skill, 11% high skill; rise of China; need for government to become more hands on and to intervene.

Demographics – multicultural workforce – may worsen the socio-economic divide as low skill jobs tend to be concentrated in Maori and Pacifica populations; aging workforce; North Island northern population increase.

Education – online learning; bite-size learning; tertiary collaboration;

The general consensus to the perceived threat of automation, robotics, AI etc. on work is to ensure the human element trumps. People skill is the main delineator between us and technological threats. With the following summarised by fortune.com with the US of A as context for technology to created more jobs. However, there is a need for workers to have a good background in maths and science, have a life-long learning mindset and maintain curiosity.

This today-online article, summarises the thoughts of a few commentators on how to move onwards into the future. The main theme is the need to be continually flexible.

Leonard Mlodinov – elastic:flexible thinking in a constantly changing world. Some strategies include:

-          Order least popular dish on mehu

-          Start conversation with a stranger and listen to their perspectives

-          Regular challenges to develop curiosity.

Bradley Staats, - never stop learning: stay relevant, reinvent yourself and thrive

-          Write so that knowledge is codified

-          Spot problems that need attention, motivating change and address these problems

Jochen Menges – role of emotional intelligence

Rachael Chong – Catchafire – fear is the biggest reason we are inflexible.

Carol Dweck – growth mindsets - we can continually learn.