Businesses are transforming, is career education keeping up?

The modern workforce is rapidly transforming. Artificial intelligence, sustainability efforts, automation and emerging technologies are reshaping not just the careers on offer, but also the skills needed within traditional professions. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2030, 39 percent of workers' core skills will change. This shift is generating 170 million new jobs but also displacing 92 million others by the end of the decade.

Businesses are adapting to these changes, yet young people often face crucial career decisions without adequate exposure to the evolving job market. Research from OECD nations reveals that 39 percent of 15-year-olds feel uncertain about their career aspirations, with aspirations concentrated within a limited set of occupations. This issue affects students in the UAE as well, highlighting a broader global concern: many young individuals are being asked to make significant career choices before fully exploring the possibilities available to them.

Career decisions often become stressful for families, as they occur within tight decision-making periods, sometimes before the student or parent feels fully informed. Parental concerns about securing a strong future for their children often take precedence, while students may have developing interests but lack the information or language to articulate their preferences.

A 2024 study of Emirati university students found that parental influence is the most significant factor shaping career choices, outpacing school and socioeconomic factors. This underscores the deep connection between family dynamics and career decisions in the UAE. Initiating career exploration earlier can improve the quality of these conversations. By gradually exploring careers, industries, and personal strengths over several years, decisions become more informed rather than impulsive.

Dr Mauli Mahajan, Founder of MyCareerCompassToday and Career Quest Championship, emphasizes that students are frequently asked about their future careers before understanding what these careers entail. "To make informed decisions, we need to change the sequence," she says. "Give them the opportunity to discover, explore, experience, and create first. The decisions that follow will naturally be stronger."

Career Quest is a pioneering global career exploration championship that implements a structured, long-term, and participative approach to career discovery for school students. The program's framework consists of four key actions: Discover, Explore, Experience, and Create. Instead of pressuring students into an early career choice, Career Quest provides them with ample exposure, time, and experience to make more informed decisions later.

Career Quest goes beyond merely informing students about various professions. Through challenges, investigations, projects, and real-world experiences, students gain insights into the actual work of professionals, the problems they solve, the skills required for their roles, and how different industries function. This practical approach also cultivates broader future-readiness skills, such as research, communication, creativity, problem-solving, reflection, decision-making, and initiative, which are valuable across any profession a student may choose.

This strategy aligns with the UAE's educational objectives, which increasingly prioritize practical capability, future skills, lifelong learning, and better alignment between education and the evolving economy. For Career Quest, future readiness extends beyond job preparation; it aims to equip students with the capability to navigate careers that will continue to evolve throughout their lives.

For business leaders, this conversation is not confined to the education sector alone. The students currently exploring career paths are the professionals who will join organizations in the future as specialists, entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders. Industry possesses unique insights into how professions are evolving, including which skills are gaining value, emerging roles, technological advancements reshaping work, and common misconceptions about specific sectors.

Collaborative connections between education and industry are essential, as business leaders can transform abstract career titles into tangible and achievable paths. By strengthening the link between education and industry, schools can offer exploration opportunities, families can provide encouragement and perspective, and career educators can help students understand their own potential and aspirations.