Competences of the future and language learning. What is worth investing in?

With the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence in business processes, the emergence of ChatGPT and the unfolding Fourth Industrial Revolution, the question arises – what skills will we humans need to find our way in the future labour market? And where does science and language skills fit into these competences of the future?

Let’s take a look at what qualifications are identified as key to our future. Depending on the source, these skills vary somewhat, but competences such as:

# Digital competences

With the rapid development of modern technology, digital skills are becoming crucial for almost all industries. This includes such basic proficiencies as the ability to use devices, software and applications safely and efficiently, as well as more advanced skills such as coding and data analysis.

# Critical thinking and problem solving

As more and more routine tasks are automated, the ability to think critically and creatively and solve complex problems will be highly valued. Those with such skills will be able to suggest innovative solutions and ideas, solve complex problems using reasoning and logic, and evaluate arguments in terms of their veracity and reliability.

# Creativity and innovation

The ability to generate new ideas and develop innovative solutions will be key to staying ahead of the competition in the future of work. Workers will need to be creative to take full advantage of new opportunities in the form of new products, ways of working and technology. Robots currently cannot compete with humans in terms of creativity, so it will be an essential resource for workers in the future.

# Emotional intelligence

The ability to be mindful, to be able to understand one’s own emotions, express and manage them, is one of the most important skills for communicating effectively and building strong relationships with others. It will also become increasingly important in the future of work, as a machine cannot easily replace a person’s ability to emotionally connect with another human being.

# Teamwork and communication skills

As work becomes more complex and there is an evolution of teams to include hybrid workers, fully remote workers, contractors and subcontractors, collaborative skills will be key to achieving organisational goals. In order to work well together, people will need well-developed communication skills between each other, i.e. the ability to exchange information effectively using the right words, tone of voice or body language.

# Curiosity, growth mindset and lifelong learning

In a rapidly changing job market, the ability to learn new skills and adapt to new technologies and processes will be essential for long-term career success. A person with a growth mindset understands that his or her abilities and intelligence can be developed and knows that the effort put into building skills will result in higher performance. He or she will therefore take on challenges, learn from mistakes and actively seek out new knowledge.

# Cultural competence and awareness of diversity

As workplaces become increasingly diverse, the ability to work effectively with people from different cultures and backgrounds will be crucial to success. In today’s and tomorrow’s world, it is important that individuals have the skills to understand, respect and work with others, despite differences in race, culture, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, political or religious beliefs.

# Adaptability and flexibility

As the pace of change increases, the ability to adapt quickly and remain flexible will be essential for workers in the future. In the workplace of the future, we will be constantly faced with new technologies, increasing automation, a rapidly changing pace of work and massive business disruption. To thrive in times of rapid change, we will need to develop mental resilience and adaptability. But it’s not just our brains that will need to be flexible, we will also need to adapt flexibly to changing jobs, expectations and skills. An essential skill will be to see change not as a burden, but as an opportunity for growth and innovation.

Language learning and the competences of the future

As we can see, none of the competences mentioned above directly mention the need for language learning, or the benefits associated with it. However, when we take a closer look at the individual categories, we can see that the vast majority of them are linked to language learning in one way or another. Let us note that:

• learning languages reinforces one’s digital competences, as most classes are nowadays conducted online, using a variety of applications, instant messaging or other digital tools

• learning languages supports our critical thinking and problem-solving skills, like learning any complex skill that requires seeing relationships, formulating and testing hypotheses, and learning from mistakes.

• When we learn languages, we can also support the development of our creativity and innovation – because what else is the search for fast, interesting and effective learning methods and techniques, if not this?

• learning languages certainly enhances and improves our teamwork and communication skills – by learning languages we can better understand and communicate with members of international teams who speak different national languages on a daily basis.

• by learning languages we recognise that we are culturally different, and that something that is customary and accepted in one culture may be perceived differently in another. We learn, for example, that when communicating with English people we need to use a lot more words like ‘please’ and ‘excuse me’ and polite forms so that we are not seen as cultural troglodytes. Learning languages increases our competence in this area, which of course improves our cooperation and communication skills.

• Learning languages significantly supports and exercises our lifelong learning skills. It is one of those skills that we can learn regardless of our age and exercises our brain and synapses to continually create new neural connections and to keep growing.

As we can see, learning languages supports most of the competences we will need to have in the future. So why not practise them now, either by taking language classes or by learning on your own? We strongly encourage the former option, as it offers a number of advantages, which we will discuss in another article. For now, let’s exercise our brains and build our future competences at least in this way!