technology

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I’ve been following changes in the world of work over the last few years – partly because we run a business that employs and contracts young people, and partly because it’s like watching a fast-paced thriller play out. It’s fascinating. Global politics, AI, the rising cost of living and Gen Z’s evolving priorities (like more meaningful work, better work-life balance, positive company culture, supportive environments, training opportunities, and stability, say Youth Employment UK) have all contributed to a jobs market that’s constantly shifting.

It’s exciting but also overwhelming. For many young people, it’s hard enough just to find a way in, let alone work out where and how they might thrive in the long-term.

The latest Future of Jobs Report, 2025, from the World Economic Forum (WEF) gives us a clearer view of where things are heading. With insights from over 1,000 global employers, it highlights the challenges young people face. It also lays out the opportunities to be had. If we – and by ‘we’, I mean young people, employers, local authorities and governments – act now.

“On average, workers can expect that two-fifths (39%) of their existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated over the 2025-2030 period.” Future of Jobs Report, 2025.

What should young people focus on?

The good news is that an estimated net 78 million new jobs will be created globally by 2030, according to the WEF report. But a lot of the roles we’re familiar with will either be transformed or vanish. This means that the focus needs to be on skills: what you can do, how you think, and your ability to keep adapting.

Here’s what young people should be working towards:

1. Tech skills – even the basics go a long way

You don’t have to become a coder (though if that’s your thing, go for it). But having digital confidence – like understanding AI, data, online tools, and cybersecurity – is becoming a must, no matter what field you’re in. These skills are at the heart of nearly every fast-growing job sector, according to WEF.

👉 Try this: Take a free online course in AI basics or data analytics. You don’t need to become an expert, just knowing the language will help you stand out.

2. Human skills – the ones tech can’t replace

These are increasingly important – in terms of job prospects as well as your wellbeing. As machines take on more of the routine work, your value comes from what they can’t do: critical thinking, creativity, empathy, adaptability – in our opinion, the interesting, fun stuff! Employers are increasingly looking for people who can think for themselves, work well with others, and handle change.

👉 Try this: Get involved in projects, part-time jobs, volunteering, or anything that builds your communication and problem-solving muscles. These experiences often teach you way more than formal study.

3. Green skills – for work that makes a difference

Jobs linked to climate action and sustainability – like renewable energy, environmental management, and electric vehicle tech – are booming. If you care about the planet (and over 80% of under 15s do), these roles offer a way to earn a living and make a real impact.

👉 Try this: Look into internships or modules in sustainability, even if it’s not your main focus. More industries are going green, and they’ll need people who get it.

The 3 biggest challenges young people face right now

1. Skills mismatches

Too many young people are coming out of education with skills that don’t match what employers need. At the same time, businesses are struggling to find people who are ready to hit the ground running.

This isn’t your fault. It’s a systemic issue. It means we urgently need to build better bridges between education, training, and work.

2. Automation and disappearing roles

Entry-level jobs that once helped young people get a foot in the door (like admin, data entry, retail) are being automated. That makes early career paths more fragile and competitive. 

3. Cost of living and career insecurity

Starting a career in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis is tough. When you’re juggling rent, bills, and perhaps student debt, it’s harder to take chances on training, internships, or lower-paid but valuable experience-building roles.

The 3 biggest opportunities to go for

1. Tech is hiring – and will be for a long time

There’s a global shortage of people with skills in AI, fintech, data, and cybersecurity, according to the WEF report. Even if you’re not a “tech person,” showing some fluency with digital tools can open doors.

2. Green jobs give you purpose and security

The transition to a greener economy will create thousands of jobs in the coming years and many of these are roles that didn’t even exist a decade ago. Take a look at some green careers.

3. Work is getting more flexible and global

Remote work, freelance platforms, and portfolio careers are giving young people new ways to build skills, make money, and create careers on their own terms, regardless of your location.

What employers and policymakers should be doing

If you’re an employer, educator, or policymaker reading this, here’s our key message: young people are motivated, capable, and ready to contribute but they need better systems around them.

Here’s how employers and policymakers can help:

  • Rethink education so it focuses on adaptability, digital confidence, creativity, and resilience – not just exam results.
  • Support mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. A caring environment isn’t a “nice to have” – it’s a must.
  • Invest in accessible training and paid entry-level opportunities. If a young person can’t afford to work for free, we all lose out on their talent. (You must pay interns if they’re classed as a worker, that’s the law, and just plain decency.)
  • Bridge the gap between education and work. That could be through real-world projects, mentorship, apprenticeships, and employer partnerships.

We also need to fund and champion lifelong learning – not just for young people, but for everyone. In our rapidly changing world, the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn is important – not just for work, but for life. And while that might sound exhausting, with the right support, it can be energising. It’s a chance to spark new ideas, unlock new careers, and reshape work for the better. And crucially, young people must be part of that transformation, not just as learners, but as co-creators of the future they’ll inherit.

What next?

The future of work is already here – and it’s changing fast. But young people aren’t scared of that. They’re used to change. What they do need is support, direction, and opportunity.

If you’re a young person starting out right now, here’s the best advice we can give: don’t chase job titles, build future-ready skills. Be curious. Stay flexible. Learn how to learn. That mindset is your best long-term asset.

And to the rest of us – employers, educators, governments – let’s not make young people fight their way in. Let’s build pathways, offer support, and co-create a future of work that works for everyone.

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First up, apologies for the missing August round up. Holidays got in the way! The good news is that we’re back and have a bumper issue for you covering the news over the last few weeks! So grab a cuppa and dive in…

In this month’s post:

  • Teen wellbeing is still declining, with the cost of living crisis and post pandemic fall-out likely to blame. 
  • School absences are on the rise – perhaps it’s time to listen to young people?
  • Being human – why we’re really looking forward to the Brighton Summit

How are our teens?

We’ve spent the last couple of weeks talking to young people for our upcoming series of Raising Teens (broadcast on BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey this autumn). Every conversation we have with a young person gives us a better understanding of their needs and issues. It means we can work together to find ways to help. We’ll have more details in next month’s post.

As I was putting the finishing touches to this post, the Education Secretary announced that they’re planning to ban mobile phones in schools in England. They say it’s to address behavioural and mental health concerns. Much of the news about children and young people in the last couple of months has centred around a drop in happiness and wellbeing. The effects of the pandemic and cost of living crisis has been huge. The BBC published a poll last month that highlighted many of their concerns. It made for fascinating reading. 44% of girls and 24% of boys said they feel unsafe on the streets, over a quarter said they feel anxious most or all of the time – exams, school and peer pressure were the top 3 reasons. On the plus side, 66% said they felt positive about the future. 

We covered some of these issues in previous episodes of Raising Teens – and young people and professionals shared some great advice. Listen here: Raising Teens: Personal safety and Raising Teens: Anxiety.

School absences are on the rise

There were plenty of news articles about the rise in persistent school absences. 

“22.5% of pupils were recorded as ‘persistently absent’ (defined by the Department for Education as missing 10% or more of possible school sessions). This equates to around 1.6 million pupils.” (House of Commons Research Briefing, 29 September 2023) 

When looking for reasons why, some point to a change in parental attitudes since the pandemic. Schools Week reported today that there’s been a rise in home schooled children that perhaps points to disaffection with the school system. Whatever the reason, many families are struggling to cope and it’s hitting the poorest hardest – “37.2% of free school meal eligible pupils were persistently absent compared with 17.5% of pupils that were not eligible” – with a knock-on effect of lower attainment for those absent pupils. A recent IPPR paper looked at the need for wholesale changes in education to make it fit for 21st Century needs. In particular, they argue that a shift is needed in our school system – one that moves from “a system that disempowers young people” to one that “gives young people voice and agency.” We agree that it’s time to listen to young people. Their feedback is vital to inform the future of education. 

If you’re worried about your child’s school attendance and need help, take a look at Not Fine in School. It’s a great resource for parents and carers worried about their children’s school attendance. It was set up by parents who have experienced these issues. 

Human: Looking forward to the Brighton Summit

It’s been 5 years since we started Make (Good) Trouble (five years! Time flies). It started from an idea Daisy (my sister and co-founder of MGT) put to an audience at The Brighton Summit. We had an overwhelming response. Five years on, and we’re back at the Summit with Daisy as MC! It’s a great event and we’re really excited about this year’s theme: Human. The focus is on human resilience, courage and kindness, on human centred businesses. This is at the heart of MGT, building human connections between young people and parents, carers, families and the professionals who are trusted with their care. We’ll cover some of the debates, issues and ideas in next month’s round up.

Help and advice

We’ve been adding to our Help & Advice pages over the summer, so if you need somewhere or someone to turn to, take a look. The pages are full of great resources and organisations, many of whom we’ve worked with over the past 5 years. If you have any great resources you think we should add, let us know.

Till next month! Keep well. x

P.S. The image at the top of this page is from our August summer club – participants had been helping with pruning and conservation in the South Downs National Park. The SDNP team, MGT and participants showing the fruits of their labour. ♥️

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated the news this month and, as a parent and employer of young people, I’ve been wondering about what it means for their future – in education, employment, in terms of ethics and equality, and innovation. 

Researching the subject for this blog post – and as an interested parent – took me down plenty of rabbit holes. Opinions about the technology range from wildly optimistic: AI is our saviour! It will solve climate breakdown; provide better, faster solutions to healthcare, education, the economy… On the pessimistic side: there are deep fakes, worries about inaccuracies and plagiarism, and fears that AI will put many of us out of a job. There are also concerns that AI tools, which are trained on and learn from existing information, may amplify gender, racial, or cultural biases in society. 

What does this mean for parents and employers?

As someone who grew up in an analogue world, it’s hard to imagine how things will change over the next decade or so. But as parents and employers, we need to help prepare our young people (and ourselves) for this new world, to make sure they have the opportunity to collaborate and compete in a workplace that is changing beyond our imagination. It’s certainly something we’re beginning to think about at Make (Good) Trouble. 

It’s clear that we need to educate our young people to better understand what AI is, what it can do, and what its foundations are because a) regulation can’t keep up and b) we can’t shield our young people from what comes next. This learning needs to start in schools but will no doubt need to be lifelong. We should give them the tools and knowledge to be resilient and to deal with and work with whatever the future brings. 

What role should AI have in education?

ChatGPT and DALL-E 2 can help with writing, creating images, and generating ideas but there are worries that students will start to lose their cognitive skills if they rely on AI tools to do the heavy lifting for them.

A group of school leaders recently announced that they have come together to create a new body to protect students from “very real and present hazards and dangers” of AI. They state that “AI is moving far too quickly for the government or parliament alone to provide the real-time advice schools need” (The Guardian, 20 May 2023). The question is, should our children be taught to understand and use AI in schools? And how can we expect already overloaded teachers to keep up? 

Teachers and lecturers are already having to deal with students using ChatGPT to write essays and exams. Teachers are now using plagiarism and AI detection tools to root out cheats. My daughter also uses these tools to check her work. She’s a fan of ChatGPT. She says it helps with her grammar and research and makes her more confident about it.  

Rather than trying to keep up, some experts advise we take a long-term approach when it comes to AI and education. “Our approach to teaching should be guided not by one recent product but by reflection on the lives our students are likely to lead in the 2030s,” argues Professor Ted Underwood, University of Illinois. “What will the writing process look like for them? Will they use models as research assistants? As editors?

“No crystal ball can answer those questions yet. But the uncertainty itself is a reminder that our goal is not to train students for specific tasks but to give them resilience founded on broad understanding.” (Inside Higher Ed, 11 Jan 2023) 

I like that thinking, and hope that it is embedded in everyone’s education. Our schools, our curriculum, should be designed to value problem-solving skills, to help young people to be creative and critical in their thinking, to be agile and flexible in their approach to their future and to work.

What does this mean for the future of work?

Many think Artificial Intelligence will reduce the workforce in many areas, and in particular in entry level jobs. This thoughtful piece in The Conversation looks at how AI might affect artists and knowledge workers. The writers argue that whilst technology can be problematic, it can lead to better accessibility, new skills and jobs.

In a recent Guardian discussion, Professor Stuart Russell, founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence, argued that human interpersonal skills will be the key to many future careers “where you’re interacting directly with other humans on a one-to-one basis to make people’s lives better” (doing what technology can’t), citing as examples of new job titles: “life architects” and “professional lunchers” (someone who is a paid lunch date offering interesting conversation and company!). 

I hope that AI represents an “advance” in technology. I hope it gives all our young people more opportunities to thrive. We just need to make sure they’re equipped with the skills and knowledge to do that. 

Further reading

Internet Matters: A parent’s guide to using AI with kids

AI Magazine: The impact of artificial intelligence on kids and teens

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