Navigating the Next Era of Work

The term ‘future of work’ can be somewhat misleading. It suggests that changes to the workplace are a few years — or even decades — away. But in reality, most of us are already experiencing the future workplace in some way or another. Concepts like remote work, automation and lifelong learning are already familiar to some. But even more changes are afoot.

One of the biggest drivers of future change is Artificial intelligence (AI), which has made its way into all our hands through tools like ChatGPT and Copilot. Today, these can be used to generate slide decks, summarise and even analyse reports. These changes have revolutionised the workplace in just a year or two. Imagine how different things could be by the end of the decade.

On the bright side, for every role that such technologies render obsolete, there are just as many new ones that spring up. A 2023 report from the World Economic Forum illustrates this: it predicts that by 2027, 83 million jobs will be eliminated while 69 million new jobs will be created globally. It is something that can already be seen today. Before the advent of large language models like ChatGPT, few had ever heard of a prompt engineer. Today, it is one of the most in-demand jobs in the tech industry.

BLURRING BOUNDARIES 

It would not be realistic for universities to prepare students for all of these new jobs. What is more pressing is that they prepare students to transition seamlessly between roles and even industries, so that they can make the most of future opportunities. These transitions will be more commonplace in the future, with a McKinsey report projecting that by 2030, up to 14 per cent of the global workforce will experience some change in industry. Key to this is adopting a multidisciplinary approach to learning, which exposes students to, and prepares them to switch between different fields and disciplines.

NUS has swiftly responded to this reality by rethinking its approach to university education, said NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye (Science ’85) in an interview with The AlumNUS. “We do this by broadening the intellectual foundations of our students’ learning through double majors, or flexible major-minor specialisation combinations,” he explained. “This approach, coupled with opportunities to apply their knowledge in real-world settings — such as local and global internships, industry attachments, entrepreneurship opportunities and research — helps our students develop competencies to tackle diverse issues transcending domains.”  

That explains the major educational transformations in NUS over the past five years, such as the new interdisciplinary College of Humanities and Sciences, College of Design and Engineering, and NUS College. But as many working adults would attest to, several sectors are seeing a convergence of skills and knowledge required for work.

“Take engineering as an example,” said Professor Bernard C Y Tan, Senior Vice Provost (Undergraduate Education) at NUS. “In the past, the different types of engineers would mostly stick to their own area of work. But with more complex structures coming up, engineers of all disciplines have to work together, whether you’re a civil, mechanical, electrical or environmental engineer. If all the engineers worked like they did in the past, we could never have something that looks like our Jewel at Changi Airport!”

These interdisciplinary trends are visible in programmes run by the NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG), which aims to equip students with critical life and employability skills. In the past year, it has introduced Introduction to Decision-making in Business, a credit-bearing course that allows students from outside the NUS Business School to pick up essential business management skills. Other programmes are faculty-specific: CommsLab, for instance, is geared towards students from the Faculty of Science, and imparts communications and public speaking skills, which are critical for career advancement in the sciences. 

As a result, just having deep knowledge of one particular subject is no longer enough. “The educational approach has pivoted from a model of providing students with comprehensive knowledge in their major, to one that gives students a strong foundation in their major, and enables them to upskill and reskill through continuing education,” said Prof Bernard Tan.

Diversifying the knowledge and skills of NUS graduates also means further diversifying the pool of students who enrol in the University. Describing the admissions process as holistic, President Tan noted that frameworks are in place to identify students with “diverse talents, aptitudes, passions and pursuits, beyond academic achievements”.

“We are also offering more student life scholarships, such as the Community Impact Scholarship (mid-term), alongside the existing sports, and performing and visual arts scholarships,” he said, noting that such efforts would inject greater diversity into the student population. 

A CONTINUING JOURNEY

Knowing the benefits of an interdisciplinary education raises the question of its reach, since plenty of graduates were born before this shift. Reaching these groups will be yet another task for adult learning courses. Describing these courses, President Tan said, “We closely track the skills that employers are looking for, and design our courses to impart these in-demand skills. Offering courses that meet the needs of adult learners is a priority for us, hence our courses are ‘bite-sized’ and stackable to align with their lifestyle needs.”

This alignment with lifestyles and objectives is key for adult learning to be successful, said Associate Professor Chai Kah Hin, Associate Provost (Masters’ Programmes & Lifelong Education). “A survey conducted by the NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (NUS SCALE) found that even though many of our alumni are very keen to keep learning, they face significant challenges. Younger alumni are more likely to cite work commitments and cost as significant barriers, while older alumni are usually constrained by family commitments.” 

Adult learning need not always be about preparing for new industries or jobs. It could also be about deepening one’s knowledge in an existing field. Assoc Prof Chai noted that this is a common motivator for many who return to NUS. “Many Engineering alumni return for a Master of Science in Engineering, in areas such as Industrial and Systems, Electrical Engineering, or Civil Engineering. Medical alumni may pursue a Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine or Master of Public Health, while those from the Science faculty may take a Master of Public Health or a Doctor of Medicine.” Gaining deeper expertise and knowledge is especially crucial in the age of AI, which will likely automate many low-level tasks, even in the professional services.

Summing up, Prof Bernard Tan stressed that the time when getting a university degree meant that you were ‘set for life’ is over. “That degree is a strong foundation — it equips graduates with advanced knowledge that will make them immediately employable,” he said. “But in 10 or 15 years, much of that knowledge might become obsolete. So you always have to stay on your toes.”

This ethos of constant evolution applies to the University as well. A forthcoming initiative will further integrate formal classroom learning with student life, campus living and other out-of-classroom experiences. President Tan described it as an exciting new chapter for the University. “Through a combination of activities spanning arts, sports and community engagement, students can develop competencies such as resilience, leadership, empathy and communication skills, among others, which are critical in future-proofing our graduates,” he said.

MORE THAN JUST KNOWLEDGE

Preparing for the future workplace is not just about having the necessary subject knowledge. Also crucial are the right cross-functional skills, which are sometimes referred to as soft skills. These are foundation skills that are transferable across roles and industries, allowing graduates to enter and adapt to new industries.

Creative thinking and innovation: One cross-functional skill in high demand is creative thinking and innovation, according to the World Economic Forum. Employees across functions and levels can use creative thinking to enhance organisational value, identify market opportunities, foster innovation, facilitate collaboration, embrace risk and failure for learning, and differentiate the organisation from competitors.

Picking up such skills may be a case of broadening one’s horizons  For example, there are many leadership-centric programmes on offer at institutes of higher learning. But situational leadership skills can even be picked up in the arts, believes Associate Professor Chan Tze Law, Vice Dean of Students at NUS. 

“A major skill required of artistic endeavours is the ability to collaborate with others, during which situational leadership skills are often called upon. Performing in ensembles, large and small, can help develop and hone these skills,” he said. “Participation in the creative arts can help all leaders take a more holistic and balanced view of situations.” To this end, all undergraduates at NUS will have the option to take a second major or minor in the performing arts from the forthcoming academic year. 

Empathy and communication: Human-level interpersonal skills are still vital in the workforce, since they remain difficult for machines — at least for now. These can be honed through programmes like NUS College's Impact Experience (IEx). Programme Director Dr Julius Bautista described it as “a capstone service learning and community engagement project that all NUS College students complete.” Students are partnered with local and regional community organisations, and work together on initiatives to tackle various social, cultural or even environmental problems.

Said Ms Ananya Mathur, a fourth-year NUS College and Arts & Social Sciences student, “Returning from these experiences, I found myself significantly more confident in communicating with new people, exercising empathy and adapting to changing circumstances. These experiences ultimately made me much braver and played a crucial role in making my university experience both heartening and formative.”

Asking the right questions: Other traits that will remain in demand are the ability to ask the right questions, according to Professor Simon Chesterman, NUS College Dean, Vice Provost (Education Innovation) and David Marshall Professor of Law, NUS. “As Pablo Picasso once said, computers are useless — all they can give you are answers. Being able to identify new challenges, crossing intellectual and geographical boundaries — these are skills I hope that our graduates will be up to,” said Prof Chesterman, who is also the Senior Director (AI Governance) at AI Singapore.