Junior Achievement of North Florida, a leader in experiential learning proven to help better align education to real-world outcomes, announced recently a new strategic approach aimed at better preparing current and future students for the expected impact of A.I. on jobs.
Under the title, “Education for What’s Next,” Junior Achievement is placing greater emphasis on ensuring today’s Generation Z and Gen Alpha students are equipped with the durable skills needed to succeed tomorrow in a world where A.I. and automation will make it more difficult to get that first job, or even have a job in occupations that can be replaced by technology.
“We can’t afford to wait to see how A.I. impacts jobs to start preparing students for what comes next,” said Tiffany Guthrie, VP of programs and partnerships. “What we know is that durable skills, like critical and creative thinking, collaboration, communication and continuous learning, are going to be essential to navigate our rapidly changing economy. Junior Achievement has a long track record of providing students with those skills, and we are looking for partners to ensure this challenge is being tackled on a systemic level.”
According to the Brookings Institution, economic mobility — the ability of each new generation to do as well or better as the preceding one — has declined 45% for Americans over the past several decades. Numerous factors, including technological advances and globalization, have contributed to this decline. With the anticipated impact of A.I. on jobs, this trend is expected to worsen in the coming years.
As part of its new strategy, Junior Achievement is placing greater emphasis on promoting life experiences that are linked to increased economic mobility. According to the Camber Collective, these include mentorship during adolescence, pursuing education or training past high school, obtaining a college degree in a high demand field and starting a business. Recent research by Ipsos of Gen Y and Z Junior Achievement alumni (former JA students) shows majorities of alumni credit Junior Achievement for influencing their decisions related to these kinds of life experiences.
A full overview of the approach can be found at JA.org/Next.
