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On a teacher\u2019s best day, students are working toward one goal: solving a problem together. They organize themselves based on each other\u2019s strengths and put their minds together to fill in the gaps as they go. This is organic. This is collaboration without\u00a0hindrance.<\/p>\n
The Future Is Bright<\/p>\n
For many years now, I have had the pleasure of meeting the students of the winning teams for Toshiba\/NSTA ExploraVision \u2014 the world\u2019s largest K-12 science competition. Year after year\u00a0I have been impressed with not only the ideas that come from these young minds but the viability of their projects in real-world applications.<\/p>\n
In general, the students work to solve problems in their everyday experience. I\u2019m not talking about potato batteries or baking soda and vinegar volcanoes; I\u2019m talking about life-sized issues being tackled with complicated emerging technology. For example, this year, a team from Texas tackled energy overconsumption in data centers via\u00a0a micro-gap thermal diode; a team from Virginia created an AI-powered drone that emits sound waves to eliminate the need for chemical pesticides; and a team of two kindergarteners from California\u00a0designed an\u00a0underwater\u00a0alert system\u00a0that uses a camera and AI technology to send an alert when someone is showing signs of drowning.<\/p>\n
Companies devote their whole existence to solving these kinds of problems\u00a0\u2014\u00a0yet\u00a0how can a group of students do it in a few weeks?<\/p>\n
Where companies lean into structure, the next generation is taking a different approach. As a result, perhaps we\u2019ve misunderstood the so-called \u201cskills gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students Don\u2019t Care About \u201cOrganization\u201d Like Companies Do<\/p>\n
While org charts can be an effective tool to stay organized, divide tasks, and ensure everyone is working with the right resources,\u00a0they can also perpetuate silos within an organization.<\/p>\n
Engineering sits in one corner, operations in another, sales and marketing somewhere else entirely.<\/p>\n
Real innovation rarely arrives department by department. People must communicate across disciplines to build or create anything useful\u00a0\u2014 which is where students excel. Ask any of the ExploraVision teams; the ones who succeeded overcame disagreements by talking things through.\u00a0They also knew when to divide and when to converge.\u00a0Good management includes separating tasks and combining ideas.<\/p>\n
Is It Actually a \u201cSkills Gap?\u201d I Think Not.<\/p>\n
Companies frequently argue that younger workers lack the necessary experience or technical skills to succeed in today\u2019s workforce. However, these young minds aren\u2019t afraid to ask questions that more experienced workers might shy away from, and they\u2019re often more curious and fluid in their\u00a0thinking.<\/p>\n
One of the great issues with today\u2019s organizational structures is that many organizations still\u00a0value credentials and hierarchy over passion and experimentation. While some companies are pouring billions of dollars into innovation, they are simultaneously eliminating entry-level positions. The few\u00a0that\u00a0land\u00a0a job in today\u2019s labor market are being hired into pre-determined job descriptions that prevent them from contributing the kind of fresh thinking they naturally bring.<\/p>\n
Rethinking organizations from the ground up can drive real change. Greater diversity across teams \u2014 people of different backgrounds, disciplines, and abilities \u2014 ensures that when a hard problem arrives, someone in the room sees it differently.<\/p>\n
This creates the very paradox that makes me question whether we\u2019re faced with a true skills gap or if our organizational structures are inherently devaluing and denying the competencies we need to innovate with speed.<\/p>\n
What We Can Learn from Students<\/p>\n
Here are four practical lessons organizations could learn from watching students work:<\/p>\n
Design teams around problems instead of department structures. The most complex challenges require perspectives from multiple disciplines from the very beginning.<\/p>\n
Reward questions as much as answers. Curiosity is the engine that drives innovation.<\/p>\n
Give early-career employees real responsibility. Young workers develop faster when they are trusted to contribute beyond administrative or support tasks.<\/p>\n
Think further ahead. When you\u2019re in middle school, 20 years from now seems like quite a long time\u00a0\u2014 but students naturally imagine the world they expect to live in. Businesses too often optimize around the next quarter instead of the next generation.<\/p>\n
The energy systems, infrastructure, and technologies shaping the future will demand more interdisciplinary thinking. The kinds of projects students are already proposing through science competitions like ExploraVision\u00a0mirror many of the same challenges industries and governments are racing to solve right now.<\/p>\n
The future workforce is already thinking ahead of the organizations they will eventually join. It is our responsibility to protect their sense of curiosity and make the necessary changes to welcome them when they do enter the workforce.<\/p>\n
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.<\/p>\n
#Bill #Nye #Companies #skills #gap #Theyre #wrong #students #prove<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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