How To Prepare Students For The Changing Nature Of Work: A Case Study Of Selected Secondary Schools In Zambia

Education plays a pivotal role in preparing students to enter the global job market,as well as equipping them with the relevant and competent skills to engage in lifelong learning experiences.According to employers,a good academic qualification is no longer sufficient to secure employment?York,2006?in the global changing nature of work.The World Development Report 2007?World Bank 2006?suggests that,although curricula and teaching methods have remained largely unchanged in developing countries over the years,employers are increasingly demanding strong thinking,communication,and entrepreneurial skills--demands largely unmet by educational systems in the developing and transition economies.Therefore,the objective of this study was to investigate the measures being taken towards preparing students for the contemporary changing nature of work with a particular focus on the Zambian education system in public secondary schools in Lusaka province.The research involved a qualitative study.The research participants were 24,3 Head teachers,9 teachers and 12 students from 3 districts in Lusaka province.The researcher collected data through focus group discussion?FGD?,interviews and observations.The analysis of data for each of the 3 case study sites was done using a Holistic Multiple Case Design basing on cross case and thematic techniques.The work was analyzed according to the 3 research questions;what are the skills needed for the changing nature of work?,what approaches and strategies are used by schools to prepare effectively the students for the changing nature of work in Zambia?,and what suggestions can be given to deal with the challenges of preparing students for the changing nature of work in Zambia?The findings were then compared and contrasted.The findings brought out issues that indicated that,by the nature of Zambian education system prevailing,not only students but also teachers perceived technical skills and knowledge to be the most relevant skill requirements to secure employment.Secondly,the aspect of soft skills?team work,collaboration,critical thinking,communication…?required by employers was not strongly articulated by the respondents.Although certain teachers knew that students could be trained about the 21^st century skills,teachers still confused activities in particular models of teaching and learning.The study also clearly showed that,assessing of 21^st century skills was a challenge among the schools as they had no measuring guidelines put in place.In conclusion,the study recommended that,Government must put in measures in order to enhance teacher preparedness for new pedagogical approaches that fit the 21^st century in order to be able to facilitate the development of 21^st century competencies in their students.It was also recommended that,there was need to incorporate 21^st century skills in teachers'preparation programmes and also in the professional development programmes like CPDs.In order to match education to the labor market needs,there is need to link schools with the private sector,non-governmental organizations and other institutions in Zambia.These links will not only unveil students to the nature of skills needed in the labor market,but also inform the private sector employers about the knowledge and skills that students have acquired.Furthermore,the government should put in to place a curriculum that will have strategies for developing employability skills that will eventually develop efficient human resource.The government should also provide proper infrastructure and the needed learning materials that will encourage the learning of the much needed competence skills.