2 min read February 2024 — Job titles and descriptions posted on Linkedin today could look quite different a decade or two from now as technological advancement propels new roles in the workforce while other jobs meet their maker. That’s the reason education leaders in Palm Beach are focused on providing students with skills that transcend today’s market needs.
“We are not preparing our students for 2030 but for 2060. We don’t know what jobs are going to look like then,” Linda Trethewey, head of school at Rosarian Academy told an audience of 200-plus public and private sector leaders and professionals during the Invest: Palm Beach 2023-2024 Launch Conference at The Ben Hotel.
“Instilling critical thinking, digital and technological competency and an entrepreneurial spirit is paramount,” she added.
Trethewey joined FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Sciences Dean Valery Forbes and Oxbridge Academy Head of School Ralph Maurer on a panel, titled “Prioritizing Education: How Palm Beach County’s leaders are preparing students for the workforce of the future.” Moderated by Capital Analytics President & CEO Abby Lindenberg Melone, the discussion focused on secondary and higher education institutions’ role in preparing students for future jobs through earlier hands-on work in their related fields.
“Our efforts have been focused to get students early on in their undergraduate opportunities in research work and career relevant experience,” said Forbes. In 2023, FAU launched its new School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean SUstainability (ECOS) — a partnership between the College of Science and FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
According to Forbes, the new school will play a key role both with research and through training the next generation of scientists and policymakers that will be tasked with addressing global issues such as rising sea levels.
Palm Beach County is also in a prime geographic position to connect students with some of the U.S. leading corporations in need of quality talent. “What has elevated the quality of education here is the continued influx of industry, particularly fintech. It has stemmed from the awareness of the corporations present in the region,” said Maurer.
And when businesses and schools find ways to partner on education programs, it produces a win-win situation for Palm Beach’s current and future workforce.
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