The Fourth Industrial Revolution will have fundamental implications on how humans interact and how we define work. Re-skilling and upskilling workforces will be critical to prepare for future changes especially in the age of uncertainty. Never has it been harder to predict what our working futures hold and arm ourselves accordingly, as technological advances, an aging workforce and the rise of the sharing economy cause new jobs to appear as fast as others vanish.

Traditional career paths are on the way out, say the experts, with jobs-for-life replaced by a new expectation among younger workers that they might hold 11 or more jobs throughout their lives, according to Karin Klein of Bloomberg Beta. This is the new gig economy, and it’s gaining ground. In its wake has come to a culture of short-termism, an on-demand approach to work that is spreading through professions and occupations, causing a rise in freelance work and part-time jobs.

But with these technological and cultural shifts come fresh opportunities. New and unexpected jobs are being created all the time. But which skills do we need to face the unexpected? And how do we equip today’s school-age children for professions that don’t exist yet?

Through two online workshops, the aim of the project was to equip youths in Brunei with the skills needed to face the unexpected future. Using the data from the Future of Jobs Report in 2018, the project focused on the development of three main skills: critical thinking, creativity and complex problem-solving.

The goals of the project were:

• To increase awareness of the skills and employability opportunities


• To equip Brunei youths with market-ready skills to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution


• Collect data on youth perspectives on employability