Should accreditations move towards peer-to-peer evaluations?
Our Mobile talks events series have given us an incredible opportunity to examine learning and education from many perspectives. We have learned from world-leading experts what the future of employability looks like and what skills are required to match the future of work. Our latest event focused on employability and the paradox of accredited learning. With digital learning becoming more popular, the labor market needs to adjust and acknowledge that not all candidates are molded the same. The paths to acquiring skills have diversified. While digital learning has its challenges, education has irreparably changed.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that there is a massive mismatch between the workforce's skills and the job requirements. The current education system cannot keep up with the change, and curriculums are getting outdated faster than ever. The way accreditation is done in the contemporary education system is deepening the gap even further.
How should skills be evaluated?
A potential candidate can possess all the skills required for a job, but without a certificate or diploma to showcase these skills, they may be sidelined from job opportunities. Many recruiters are still blinded by shiny degrees from well-known institutions and fail to look beyond accredited learning. As Professor Samuel John highlighted in our third Funzi Mobile talks event back in August, curriculums ensure a quality input in education, meaning they provide a level of knowledge that is put into the program. But he also underlined that curriculums do not guarantee quality output. The students graduating with a degree may still have significant gaps in their knowledge and lack essential skills to perform certain jobs.
Liana Melchenko, The Global Head of Insights and Innovation at The Adecco Foundation, suggested focusing on employees’ and applicants' results. She pointed out that big global players use AI and technology to regularly measure their employees' skills. “The Employers are as interested in getting the right talent as the employees have the right job,” says Liana. Smaller companies could also benefit from analyzing candidates' skills by focusing on a proven track record and results from work projects.
Peer-to-peer validation to verify skills
The skills gap in the job market is proof that the education system is broken. While companies worldwide struggle to find the right talent, millions of people are out of jobs and without a steady income. The demand and supply cannot be met until skills developed outside of institutions are accepted by recruiters. Another perspective to validate skills is to get endorsed by your peers. Pabi Mogosetsi, The Country Manager from Universum South Africa, suggested that communal or peer accreditation could replace the existing system. She mentioned that the gig economy and rating each other's skills could be the new approach.
“No one knows you better than your peers.”, Pabi points out. The peers can push you forward and they know what you are passionate about and capable of achieving. In times of fixed-term contracts and freelancing, the endorsements from the people you have worked with display what you have accomplished. Many recruiters admittedly look into the endorsement applicants have received from former managers or co-workers on LinkedIn. This approach could be adapted within companies as well and has the potential to become common practice for validating one's skills.
The outdated education system serves the minority
“The recruiters and employers should consider non-accredited learning because the way the current education system is set up shows stagnation, declined skills development, and unemployment,” reminds Mona-Lisa Bango, women empowerment activist and Co-Founder of The Nomzano Club. According to her experience, many young adults, especially women, are left without skills that open the doors for receiving higher education. School districts define the quality of education the youth receives, determining the skills and the tools they are equipped with to further their education.
In many countries, before and during the pandemic, young adults have been forced to drop out of university to provide additional income for their families. Young women also discontinue their education due to pregnancies. When they are ready to continue their education, the opportunity may no longer be available for them. “Being a dropout does not mean that you don’t respect learning or the accreditation,” says Aape Pohjavirta, The Founder and President of Funzi. However, he highlights that accreditation from peers, employers, and the community is what should matter. The education industry and employers need the courage to speak up and acknowledge that the system needs to change.
The Global Dropout Network is an initiative by organizations and institutions announced by Aape, in our Funzi Mobile talks event in November. Partnerships are a powerful solution and were highlighted by many experts during our event series. The Dropout Network will focus on providing learning opportunities to the majority of people around the world. Education needs to shift the focus from small privileged minorities to provide opportunities democratically to everyone. The only solution to creating a better future for humanity is education and learning, which should be a human right.
The skills we need tomorrow are not taught today
“The future jobs reside in the companies that have not been founded yet,” says Aape. He also points out that the curriculum does not teach the future skills we need. Education and learning need to change. Accreditation being a big part of it, must be re-examined and critically evolved. Employers and recruiters need to get on board with changing how they validate applicants' skills beyond diplomas and degrees. There are many great ways to evaluate candidates’ competencies and evaluate their value to the company.