‘Game-changer:’ New school qualification recognises soft skills to tackle AI job struggle
Aussie students will finally be able to prove they have more than just good grades, as schools introduce a new way to help them get into the workforce.
Australia’s next generation of job seekers will be far better at proving they have in-demand
soft skills, with a new qualification recognising key attributes including communication and
critical thinking.
The qualification, developed by the University of Melbourne and offered by several
Australian schools, acknowledges a range of personal characteristics increasingly sought by
employers but, until now, difficult to quantify.
Known as New Metrics – or the Australian Learner Competency Credential – the
qualification provides evidence of learning success in areas not captured in traditional
academic assessment, such as critical and quality thinking, collaboration, communication,
active citizenship, learner agency and the ability to act ethically.
Leadership specialist Amy Jacobson said the credential would be a game-changer for future
job seekers.
“IQ and technical skills and your ability to bring the right knowledge to an interview might
get you the job but once you get in the door it’s your EQ, or emotional intelligence, that
enables you to be promoted and shows that you are a high performer,’’ said Ms Jacobson,
author of The Emotional Intelligence Advantage.
“We all know people that are technically brilliant at what they do but they’re not very nice to
work with.
“This (the ALCC) is the confirmation that workplaces are looking for that people have got
those soft skills and can get along with others, that they are strong communicators and active
learners.’’
No more ‘regurgitators of facts’
The ALCC was offered through 20 government, independent and Catholic schools from
across Australia last year, with more schools expected to credential their students this year.
For those outside the school system, Ms Jacobson said soft skills training was available
through some registered training providers.
Even where no accreditation was provided, a certificate of attendance would be impressive to
employers and viewed as demonstrating a commitment to self-development, she said.
Melbourne Metrics executive director Professor Sandra Milligan said there was no doubt the
ALCC would provide a significant advantage to job seekers, with employers ``chomping at
the bit’’ to hire those with proven soft skills.
“Traditional metrics focus on what a student knows or can achieve under high-stakes test
conditions,’’ she said.
“A 99 ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank, out of a possible 100), or an 80 ATAR,
is all very well but there’s no guarantee that student will be able to survive in an AI world and
that they’re competent.
“(Through the ALCC,) we’re trying to produce learners who are not just regurgitators of
facts but who are critical thinkers and are good citizens.’’
In an increasingly technological world, Professor Milligan said soft skills would allow
workers to remain employable, regardless of job or sector.
“In the real world, AI is going to do most of the things that our mainstream curriculum
teaches so we need to give kids more – and that more is those human competencies that
enable them to survive and to thrive, wherever they are,’’ she said.
More than an ATAR
Tracey Wallace, service learning coordinator at Scotch College, which is among the schools
offering the New Metrics program, said students who could provide evidence of having
transferable employment skills would be better prepared for work in the future.
“This credential is super important. We cannot sum students up just as an ATAR,’’ Ms
Wallace said.
“Quality thinking, design thinking, active citizenship and collaboration are the building
blocks of what students are going to need (to go into the workforce) in the future.’’
Scotch College principal Trent Driver said the new qualification was long overdue, with
students who had already obtained the credential using it to gain internships and paid
employment.
“We are hearing from employers and from universities that they want young people that can
think in an agile way, that can work well together (and) that can make great decisions but
traditional schooling and matriculation doesn’t provide a voice for those things,’’ he said.
“What this (ALCC) does is paints a holistic picture for employers and universities of what a
young person looks like and … their capacity to communicate and bring all those (soft) skills
to the table.
“It’s using the measures of success that will actually matter for the future.’’
Career advantage
They may still be a way off from entering the workforce but Stella Frahn and Angus
Foreman say developing their soft skills is helping to shape their future career paths.
The Year 9 students are part of Scotch College’s New Metrics program, which will see
them credentialed for a range of employability skills.
Stella, who has aspirations of becoming a teacher, said learning where her natural
strengths were would be helpful to narrowing her career goals.
“(Through the New Metrics program) I will be able to explore what subjects or year
levels I can better work with (as a future teacher),’’ she said.
“If I’m stronger in communication, I might be better (to specialise in teaching) older
year levels, whereas (having strong) creative (skills) would be better for teaching the
younger years.’’
Angus, who is undecided on a future career but hopes to incorporate his passion for
biology, said having evidence of his soft skills would give him an edge over job seekers
who were relying only on technical certifications.
“It will make us stand out in much better ways because it shows more of who you are
and your personality,’’ he said.
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Originally published as ‘Game-changer:’ New school qualification recognises soft skills to tackle AI job struggle
