During the time of our parents and grandparents, some of the most coveted and recognized professions include law, medicine, architecture, engineering, and education, among others. With the changing times, climate change, digitalization, and technology advancement, the needs of the world for jobs are also changing. For young people to succeed, their skills, capabilities, and their career choices must align with the changing environment and the green jobs of tomorrow.
The United Nations Environment Programme came up with a guide for the youth. It presents the sustainable career choices for the future and the required skills to thrive in these new green industries. Economic experts say that there will be millions of new jobs that will be created but that these will require specific skills that the young people of today must already start to acquire.
The first among the six categories of skills enumerated in the UNEP guideline is science skills. “Key roles will include environmental scientists, biologists, hydrologists, and biochemists.” Architectural and planning skills are also included in the list. As buildings and spaces become greener, the world would need more architects and planners specializing in green design and architecture. Green engineering and tech skills belong to the third category; this would include engineers to “maintain solar panels, wind turbines, low emissions vehicles, and other green economy technology.”
Expectedly, agriculture skills will always be in demand as food supply and food production become more sustainable. Organic farmers and urban farmers who make use of precision agriculture and data to improve and measure farming efficiency will be favored. Workers in the field of environmental justice will be prominent in our future setting as they are crucial in ensuring that human rights and environmental rights are respected. Finally, workers possessing systems skills will be needed within the green economy. They will design, operate, and monitor different kinds of systems and processes. Their macroeconomics skills will have to be up to par to enable them to build sustainability into long-term projects.
Experts agree that workers need to be able to adapt to technology as this is considered a key driver in the development of skills required for emerging sectors. Skills in cloud computing, big data, AI, behavior change, and digitalization are capabilities that are important for the new industries. Through our institutions, the Philippines would do well to prepare for this future to ensure success not just for our young professionals but also for the nation as a whole.
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I would like to invite all of my BusinessMirror readers to come and visit my solo art exhibition, Journey of Joy, now ongoing at Galerie Ana, 4F The Artwalk, SM Megamall. The show opened last October 15th and will run until October 26, 2021.