PenDragon - the official magazine of Lyford Cay International School PenDragon Vol 4, Spring 2018 | Page 8

IB Graduates Versus the Workplace of the Future
By Cathy LeGrand, Librarian
Schools grapple with how to provide education for this
unknowable future. How will the school children of today
navigate the uncharted waters of tomorrow? What skills and
knowledge will be valuable in a future in which nothing is certain
but the persistence of change and disruption?
One obvious answer is the skills and knowledge that cannot be
done more accurately by a computer or more efficiently by an
automated system. People will always be called on to do those
things that people inherently do better than machines, “soft”
skills based on interpersonal interaction and human ingenuity.
The key competencies of the future
are already among the deliverables
of an International Baccalaureate (IB)
education.
All historical images are in the public domain
IB graduates bring to the table unique preparation for the world
in front of them. They are ready to accept challenges, even ones
they can’t envision today, and to devise innovative solutions to
global problems, whatever they prove to be. Forget the robots and
computers. The IB is preparing humans to rule the world.
Teamwork is the ability to collaborate, the eternal “works and plays
well with others.” The trend toward increasingly mobile and remote
workplaces, facilitated by cloud computing, may not continue. But
the risk of global disruptions that will influence how and when
we work most likely will. Those who can work with yet-unknown
and possibly ever-changing others will find the most success. IB
students study more than one language and learn to operate in
multicultural environments. Students learn to collaborate with
their peers and to meet group deadlines. IB graduates are ready to
cooperate with teammates across borders and through language
barriers.
Eastman Kodak was the world leader in sales in photography
equipment and supplies–until digital cameras came along
and packed Kodak’s business model up in mothballs. Those
of us eager for the first self-driving cars to deliver us from the
need to be behind the wheel are not thinking about how such
technological advances will render the real-life job of “driver”
obsolete.
On the other hand, what if the workplaces and households of
the future do include the friendly robots and flying cars that we
have been promised? What will our daily lives and occupations
look like if we are indeed freed from routine and mundane
forms of labour? The essential knowledge and skills sets of
today can quickly become outdated. What competencies will
stand the test of time?
The World Economic Forum’s 2016 study The Future of Jobs tries
to address these questions in greater detail. Its findings indicate
that the key competencies of the future are already among the
deliverables of an International Baccalaureate (IB) education. IB
graduates often begin their professional lives with a head start,
equipped with with many of these evergreen and enduring soft
skills such as teamwork, interdisciplinary design-thinking, and
knowing how to learn.
I will always remember how LCIS
gave us exposure to the diverse
nationalities of the students and
teachers. This exposure, together with
the rigorous academic requirements
of the IB program, has enabled me to
succeed in my career in the Far East,
thousands of miles away from home.
The IB programme was the first time I
was really pushed out of my comfort
zone, which prepared
me for the real-life
challenges that I face
on a daily basis.
Eduardo Vazquez
(LCIS Class of 2006)
Investment Management &
Business Development
Shangri-La Asia Ltd.
Interdisciplinary design thinking leads to innovative problem
solving. Schools often treat disciplines as “silos,” each a discrete
realm with its own teacher and methods. If only life worked that
way and problems stayed in their silos, ready for solving with
obvious tools and existing applications.
Innovation comes from tackling a problem in a creative way,
from applying the techniques and methods of one discipline in
a new setting. IB students complete a design course and, often,
a STEAM programme (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts
and Mathematics) both of which challenge students to take a
multidisciplinary and creative approach to solving problems.
Lifelong learning encourages the deliberate pursuit of new
knowledge and skills for personal and professional uses. An
unpredictable future that could feature anything from the
technological utopia of “Star Trek” to the extremes of the zombie
apocalypse will require workers and citizens who have the capacity
and motivation to learn new things, even after their official school
days are over.
The IB has long recognized this skill set; one of its proclaimed goals
is to provide a school environment that “creates lifelong learners.”
IB students engage in academic and service activity that includes
experiential learning that asks them to extend their skills and
knowledge outside of the classroom. Students develop the ability
to focus their curiosity to productive ends and the mindset and
resources to nurture their own growth. To an IB student, learning
is a journey without end.
Among our staff are two
IB graduates from LCIS.
These two have especially
well-rounded skills. They
both studied and worked
abroad and then came
home to work in our equally
international environment.
By coming home, they are bringing back
their unique knowledge and expertise.
These LCIS graduates are the future leaders
of The Bahamas.
Federico A. Riegé
Managing Director
Senior Advisor
Julius Baer Bank & Trust (Bahamas) Limited