The three ‘R’s revisited

Quote

"Life be not so short but that there is always time for courtesy."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

News

Persistent youth unemployment is a worrying trend in many high income countries.   In Spain and Greece, nearly 50% of 15-24 year olds are out of work; in UK, France, USA and Sweden, as well as the EU average, the figure is around 22-23%; only a few countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Norway have below 10% of young people out of work.

On the one hand, recession means there are fewer jobs to go round; but on the other, employers are complaining that teenagers increasingly lack the soft skills which are vital for entering the workforce, especially in the service sector which accounts for three-quarters of all jobs.  Communication skills, the ability to cooperate with team mates, resolve conflicts and speak with courtesy are as valuable as the academic qualifications that schools deliver.

The phrase ‘The three Rs’ was coined in 1795 by Sir William Curtis, referring to reading, reckoning and wroughting.  The latter was the practical ability to make things, indicative of the skills required during the industrial revolution.  30 years later Sir William changed the phrase to “reading, writing and arithmetic”, which became the essence of primary education.  Late in the 20th century, manufacturing gave way to the service sector as the main source of employment, so the most important functional skills for school leavers became literacy, numeracy and ICT (information and communication technology).

Now children of the digital age are highly skilled in using new technology, but the trend towards convenience in communication (via mobile phones and social media), and individual consumption of entertainment, has left young people with an over-reliance on technology, and lagging behind in the face-to-face relational skills which employers prize.

Is it time to redefine the three ‘R’s once again?  If young people left school not only reading and writing well, and competent in arithmetic, but also strong relationally (in both skills and attitudes), they would fare better in a tough job market and be well placed to form healthy families and participate maturely in wider society.

Read on

The Work Foundation has just published a report, ‘Short-term crisis – long-term problem?

Addressing the youth employment challenge’ looks at the main causes and longer term consequences of the issue, and makes policy recommendations for public, private and third sector agencies.  Read the report here.

Walk the talk
Teaching soft skills should not be left to schools; they can all be learned in the home environment.  What opportunities might you create to help build up the confidence of teenagers – your own or others known to you – and add to their relational skills?

The last word

From the Bible, Ephesians 4 verse 29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”