Leg 7. From Auckland to Itajaí (V). Education as a Competitive Advantage for Industry 4.0: The Guinea Pigs Generation.
Good afternoon:
Happy Easter. Picture Source: Harryanddavid.com
I hope you are doing well. I will publish today what I have been thinking since several days ago. Happy Easter for many of you!
As I mentioned previously, education is the key to success for the deployment of Industry 4.0. And the generation which will be “used” to test the Industry 4.0 is Generation Z or the kids which have been born between the year 2000 up to 2020. This generation will bear the blessings or the disaster of the design and execution of Industry 4.0. On average, the first Zers who are starting the University at the moment will be the pioneers into Industry 4.0. But also they will have to learn in the University what Elementary and Secondary Schools did not provide because we were still using blackboards and chalks during the last 18 years. The eldest of Zers are starting University, and they need to learn many things yet. Many will opt to get Master Degrees or a P.h.D (which I hope), and they will be studying for at least 6 to 10 years more.
In addition, I have defined Generation Z as the Guinea Pigs Generation for Industry 4.0. (A Guinea Pig is a term or slang for a person who is the first to try something. It can also mean the subject of an experiment). And because it will take at least 20 to 30 years to build the skills and capabilities required to implement it. In consequence, I believe Industry 4.0 will be carried out by Zers. Even though some Zers are up to speed with all the devices and gadgets, many of them don´t. Everything depends on the social-economic status of his parents (Millennials or Gen X) and the country, the type of school and the level of smartness they have been able to receive at their educational institutions. Of course, there will be some countries which will be leaders in “smartness” and Industry 4.0 unfolding. I call these countries as the leaders of Industry 4.0 (Top performers or well experienced) of Industry 4.0, meanwhile, there are going to be other countries which will be positioned as learners (intermediate), or newcomers (beginners and outsiders). Each country has to define their own destiny in terms of their economy and educational systems in place. For some countries, their objective will be to become a Leader in Industry 4.0. Meanwhile, other countries will decide to stay at an intermediate level (which is the best and wiser strategy) meanwhile others, given their obsolescent nature probably will stay in the newcomers’ stage. Of course, I assume there will be top notch European countries which will decide to be outsiders of Industry 4.0 too. Fair enough. Each country and its citizens have the right to decide where they want to be in this Industry 4.0 future map of the nations. At the moment, there are countries which are not ready to deploy Industry 4.0, not even in dreams. Meanwhile, their educational systems have structural deficits of knowledge, skills, and capabilities it is better to go “SLOWER but RIGHT”. Otherwise, we can lose expert people in our journey, as it happened with John Fisher on our way to Cape Horn… This can´t happen to us in our race to Industry 4.0. Better slower but right. Life is precious. Life is always precious for all.
I believe in balance and moderation, and given my own perspective as Founder and CEO of my integral consulting firm, I wouldn´t recommend being a leader in the current context of the Industry 4.0 starting phase. Particularly for Middle-income countries which are still struggling in how to solve basic problems for the majority of their people. Even in countries as China, US or Germany, there is still a lot to test, many current complications for emerging technologies to solve (as I have explained it in previous legs), many technology prototypes to approve or dismiss and what is more crucial: ethical or moral dilemmas to decide about. Probably all this trial and error initial phase of Industry 4.0 will hurt more than benefit the humanity. At least in these next 20 to 30 years ahead. Again it is my personal opinion. But I am very prudent. Because I love life with all my soul.
Let´s return back to the topic of Smart Schools: On average each school in the world is different to another. Developed world countries as the Europeans, are probably a bit or plus “SMART” than the rest of Developing Countries schools. In El Salvador, many of the public schools don´t have electricity or potable water, neither proper windows or professors with last technologies. Moreover, many students have never touched a tablet screen yet. Each country has to be analyzed properly in order to know the status of “smartness” in the public and private schools. Watch for true signs of how “SMART” a school and an individual is before making predictions. (Remember, SMART relates to the Level of connectivity with the Internet and the rest of newest emerging technologies).
How Smart our Schools are? Source: Extreme-Connect beyond networks
Please check the next set of slides I have prepared for you today:
If you wish to see the slides in PDF, please click Eliescalante Leg 7 Outline Trends in Competitive Advantage C 27032018.
Let me finish this post with the following question:
As parents of Generation Z kids, do you wish a “guinea pig” life for them?
Tomorrow we will continue sailing in the direction of Cape Horn. Cape Horn is a rocky headland on Hornos Island, in southern Chile’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago. I do not see the time to get to Cape Horn and leave the Southern Ocean behind. Patagonia is one of our future destinations with Alejandro Guillermo Lozano Artolachipi… soon!
Blessings and wishing you a beautiful day. Thank you again.
Source References:
https://blogpatagonia.australis.com/cape-horn-map-history/
http://socialmarketing.org/archives/generations-xy-z-and-the-others/
https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/ocsm/commain.htm
http://www.globalskillsummit.com/Whitepaper-Summary.pdf
Disclaimer: All the presentation slides shown on this blog are prepared by Eleonora Escalante MBA-MEng. Nevertheless, all the pictures or videos shown on this blog are not mine. I do not own any of the lovely photos posted unless otherwise stated.
Eleonora Escalante Strategy 