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Here is what employers look for in graduates

The European Education Festival — taking place in Warsaw, Poland from 19-20 March 2020 — is now just a month away. CEO of Skriware Karol Górnowicz, will deliver a keynote about the value of STEAM’s approach, and talk about how his start-up’s STEAM-ready educational ecosystem contributes to solving the problem.

CEO of Skriware Karol Górnowicz.
CEO of Skriware Karol Górnowicz.

What skills do you think employers now expect of students when they finish school or higher education?

“Unless it’s for a highly specialized job, employers nowadays rarely look for expertise and hard skills in fresh graduates. Of course employees need to have a rudimentary understanding of their chosen field and practical experience is always an advantage, but that’s often not the focus of a recruitment process. Instead, a modern employer is looking for less obvious competencies. Is this person a team player? Can she or he adapt quickly and think on the spot? How will this candidate react in a stressful or atypical situation?

“A successful employee thinks outside the box and solves problems collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team.”

In short, they are evaluating soft skills and the candidate’s potential, not their knowledge. If, during an interview, a student can present a situation from their life or a school project where he or she was a team player (teamwork), took initiative (leadership) or approached a problem from a different perspective (creativity, critical approach), they should be golden, irrelevant of the job.”

How relevant do you think STEAM (as a teaching model) is for the future of the labour market?

“At school, students usually learn within strictly defined subjects by studying coursebooks or listening to the teacher and making notes. Their knowledge is then tested with a standardized method. Unless you are faced with a specific question for a guaranteed €15,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? how often will this really happen in life after school? A successful employee thinks outside the box and solves problems collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team – this is what the STEAM model is all about. Let’s confront students with an issue, let them work together, make mistakes and correct them. After all, this is how they will work in the future.”

A Skribot built by a student - Credits: Skriware
A Skribot built by a student - Credits: Skriware

What impact can new technologies have on teaching practices?

“First of all, it’s crucial to understand that new technologies in teaching are tools, awesome new tools that open up new possibilities and make learning more interactive and engaging. However, it is a tool nevertheless – and as such should be used responsibly. A teacher doesn’t want their students to just Google something and copy the result mindlessly. The educator’s responsibility shifts from passing on knowledge to being a guide or a mentor, pushing them in the right direction and helping them correct their mistakes. With new technology gradually being introduced into today’s classrooms, this is what I think will be the biggest change and challenge that modern teachers will need to face.”

How can we use technology to better engage students in their learning?

“Every technological solution has its advantages and there are many options out there, so I will just focus on what Skriware does. We have chosen 3D printing as our main STEAM tool due to its interdisciplinary versatility. It can be used to:

Teach virtually every subject.

Foster creativity and allow students to develop engineering and 3D modelling skills.

Provide a hands-on experience that is lacking in curriculums.

Building on that, we have created Skribots – a whole modular robotic system that can be used to teach programming. And to top it all off, it is as accessible for students as it is for educators. Our technology allows students to create things from scratch, and see their creations come to life, and if they learn something in the process, then we have done a good job.

The European Education Festival is now open to all leaders and educators. You can register by clicking the button below👇🏼.

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