A Brief Overview Of 21st-century Skills For The Rural Youth

Why is the 21st century known as the epoch of progressiveness? Well, this is because everyone in the 21st century lives with the notion of doing better than the past generation. The term 21st-century skills refer to a broad set of skills. Knowledge, character traits and work habits are believed to be critically important for success. Particularly in contemporary careers, workplaces, educators and employers prefer individuals who are equipped with the new-age skills of civic, educational and career settings. The question here is who has 21st-century skills?

Is it everyone with access to education, or is it for those students who can afford the luxury of a premium educational institute? Well, it can be heartbreaking, but 21st-century skills for youth are still a luxury for the rural youth. Skill training for youth in rural areas is essential for a myriad of reasons. Starting from giving them a fair advantage in the employment sector to making them more advanced with better communication and IT skills, 21st-century skills are crucial for a variety of reasons. Some of these skills are listed as follows:

Communication

To thrive in the dynamic world of business and to embrace employment opportunities, the first thing in skill training for youth is communication skills. Individuals need proficient communication skills to convey their opinions and share the ideas that they curate. 

IT skills

The world runs on technology nowadays. So, to fit into this new world the skill training programs should also include modern-day IT skills. This can facilitate individuals to understand the job market out there and match the job responsibilities of different job profiles that are posted in marketing, sales, CRM, development or any other tech-oriented field. 

Cross-curricular skills

Cross-curricular skills like cognitive abilities, problem-solving skills, and transversal skills are crucial for individuals to function properly in the 21st-century world. The common consensus is generally shifting towards the cognitive abilities of individuals because everyone is in academia so candidates are judged on their cognitive skills. 

Disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills

Next are the interdisciplinary skills which decide the commitment and diligence of an individual in fulfilling the job responsibility. The disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills decide how capable someone can meet and exceed the industry standards. They depict an individual’s artistry, creativity and interpersonal skills that can be used on the employment forefront. 

Takeaway

While cities are witnessing skyscraping enterprise infrastructures and state-of-the-art academic institutions, the rural youth is still unaware of the opportunities available in the employment forefront. For the rural youth, the employment sector isn’t the only field to remain untapped; they also live in the dark in terms of 21st-century skills for students. No rule book says that the 21st-century skills for students should be ideally learnt at schools. Alternative learning mediums are also there. These educational channels must be encouraged and the rural youth should be provided with the resources that every young mind deserves.