Industry experts share vision with next generation in ‘Future of Work’ week

Hundreds of Oaklands students have the inside track on the future of employment in their chosen career paths, thanks to the college's debut 'Future of Work' week.

Hundreds of Oaklands students have the inside track on the future of employment in their chosen career paths, thanks to the college’s debut ‘Future of Work’ week. 

The event saw a host of industry experts share their thoughts, experiences and ideas on how jobs, skills and the workplace could look like in the year 2030.

Lead by the College’s dedicated work experience team The Edge, speakers from local business, organisations and education hosted a packed week of sessions giving industry-relevant talks about how specific careers could look in the future. The idea was sparked by recent Government research exploring the future of work and how jobs and skills may evolve in the workplace in the next 15 years.

Many of the week’s sessions were led by the University of Hertfordshire, including a ‘Pop Up Planetarium’,  a workshop on using Netlogo coding system and ‘KASPAR the social robot’ a robot created specifically for develop social skills with autistic children therapy with children. Particularly well attended was the university’s session on Cyber Security, an area of increasingly popularity which will launch as an apprenticeship at Oaklands later this Spring.

Virtual Reality Developers Harmony Studios, 3D Printed Jewellery firm Elecrobloom and Floriculture specialists Ball Colegrave were some of the names also hosting sessions across both Campuses in St Albans and Welwyn Garden City. 

Over the course of the week more than 700 students attended the event, which were held outside of their regular classes during college time. One of the most attended sessions was hosted by InspirEngage Founder and CEO Melody Houssani, who also formerly starred on prime-time BBC television series The Apprentice. 

After her packed out session with the students, Melody said: “We are about to enter the fourth industrial revolution. No one knows exactly what this will look like, but one thing is clear; we must support and train young people to best position themselves for success in the future world of work- and this is what our focus is at InspirEngage International.

“It was my pleasure to deliver a masterclass for Oaklands College students on this, sharing our tips and future skills in demand. We were extremely pleased by their response and motivation to take action.”

Joanne Eliott from The Edge team organising the event said: “We’re thrilled with the turnout for the Future of Work week – feedback suggests it was really effective about encouraging our students to think critically and creatively about the future. 

“One thing all our students now know is that they need to keep a finger on the pulse in their chosen career to be ahead of the game in terms of future employment opportunities.”

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