The Changing Nature of Work: 30 signals to consider for a sustainable future

SIGNAL 27. Entrepreneurship training and education

As one of the eight future of work scenarios envisaged by the World Economic Forum (WEF), empowered entrepreneurship suggests that steady technological changes accompanied by fast learning evolution and low talent mobility will lead many entrepreneurs to create a wide range of products and services, thus capitalizing on opportunities within their local markets.

A reskilling revolution and closing skills gaps are necessary for better preparedness for the times ahead, but what skills will be needed in the future? Although the focus will be on lifelong learning and upskilling, proactive re-deployment and re-employment, innovative skills funding models, skills anticipation and job 41 .The Changing Nature of Work market insight, many believe that the future of work is about entrepreneurial skills. Alexandre Noronha suggests that the skills of the future, which are also those most needed by every entrepreneur on their journey, are: analytical thinking and innovation; active learning and learning strategies; creativity; originality and initiative; technology; design and programming; critical thinking and analysis; complex problem-solving; leadership and social influence; emotional intelligence; reasoning; problemsolving and ideation; and systems analysis and evaluation. These will be necessary skills to work with robots and highly automated machines together as super teams, since times ahead will be digital but also human.

The European Skill Agenda recognizes the need for the EU to have a skills revolution to ensure that people can thrive in green and digital economies, and facilitate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience calls for action defines a strategy that ensures that skills lead to jobs, identifies financial means and helps people build their skills through lifelong learning, etc. Increased entrepreneurial skills is 1 of 12 defined collective actions of the agenda. The European Commission also developed the European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp), which offers a comprehensive description of the knowledge, skills and attitudes that people need to be entrepreneurial and create financial, cultural and social value for others.

The future of work will need creativity, a sense of teamwork, and an entrepreneurial mindset and competences – simply, “the future of work is entrepreneurial”.

Check out the next signal, #28: Intrapreneurship.

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The Changing Nature of Work: 30 signals to consider for a sustainable future

Work helps sustain livelihoods and largely determines the quality of life. Its changing nature is at the frontier of development. This report is the result of a broad horizon scanning by six UNDP Accelerator Labs across Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.  They reveal 30 signals that shape the “where, who, how, and why” of the changing nature of work. From the impact of COVID-19 on the workforce to new work models and entrepreneurial ecosystems, the authors explore opportunities and threats, as well as solutions from local contexts that can be scaled up into positive answers to the challenges people around the world are facing.  Download the full report here.