Increasing Employ-Ability
Today we followed up on our discussions about the skills gap with other lively debates and presentations that touched upon the importance of strong partnerships and successful habits of mind. The Education & Tech Innovation session was followed by a presentation on the support and opportunity services provided by UMass Boston throughout the academic years to students who want to increase their employ-ability and sharpen some professional skills. Thus, we had the chance to contrast the modus operandi of the two continents and the role that culture plays in shaping the way we market our skills.
The laitmotifs of the day have been collaboration and trust. Things have been spiced up in our night session when we played for almost three hours a game inspired from game theory, aka prisoner’s dilemma. This eye-opening and challenging game certainly contributed to the down-sizing of the skills gap, as all of the 15+ players had the chance to practice soft skills like negotiation, communication, building trust, spirit of initiative or a sense of self-awareness. In spite of all the fun the teams had, the game became much more serious during the debriefing session, when we went through it and saw how the intricacies of the game mirror reality almost perfectly.
Tomorrow is yet to bring new experiences that shall disrupt our comforting certainties and push our boundaries.
