Are we preparing our young leaders with resilience and grit?
As many students prepare for HSC examinations the focus on academic success can be overwhelming. Stories of students under pressure experiencing anxiety and health issues raises the question of how well are we preparing our students to be comfortable and at ease with themselves in various situations.
In our experience and research, soft skills are often overlooked in Australia. Educational institutions we have interacted with, acknowledge there is need for soft skills. There is a belief that college students will intuitively pick these up from home and school, however the real challenge is that co-curriculum programs focusing on soft skills are often undervalued. Parents in general struggle to see the value compared to programs that enhance academic or competitive achievements.
Institutions including Universities who champion the development of life skills are demonstrating they are ahead of the curve in preparing students for their success and employability. They recognise individuals with a heightened sense of self, values and character will be more resilient, confident and composed in a diverse, global world and rise to the challenges with comfort. We find that these skills are not only useful when going to University but particularly at High School or College level as the pressure and challenges that arise can be tough to deal with.
Overlaid on academic success is the competitive landscape. A compelling report in The Australian, August 29 2016, highlights the realities in the Australian job market.
“Today we produce 15,000 law graduates every year and a legal profession with only 66,000 jobs, thus the odds of a graduate enjoying a long-term career in law are slim. Only one in 20 economics graduates becomes a professional economist. Medicine is on the verge of oversupply; with similar talk of gluts in teaching and accounting”
Soft skill development including modern etiquette and protocol intelligence will prepare our young leaders of tomorrow for personal success in an ever-increasingly dynamic and global competitive environment.
Learn more about our School Leavers and Teenagers Private and Group Coaching Holiday Programs to prepare our young leaders with resilience and grit.
