Preparing for a Future We Can鈥檛 Yet See
Every so often, a piece of research emerges that challenges us to reflect not only on the future 鈥 but on what we鈥檙e doing in the present. Released in January, by the World Economic Forum is one such moment.
While we鈥檝e long heard that students will be working in jobs that don鈥檛 yet exist, the rise of artificial intelligence 鈥 and its rapid integration across industries 鈥 has brought the future sharply into focus. For us at All Saints, it reinforces something we already believe: the way we model, teach, and shape our young people matters deeply. Not because we can predict exactly what lies ahead 鈥 but because we must prepare our students to thrive in any world they walk into.
The report estimates that by 2029, 23% of global jobs will be transformed 鈥 with 69 million new jobs created and 83 million made obsolete. But perhaps more importantly, it reveals what will remain in demand regardless of change: human capabilities.
Among the ten most critical skills identified for the future of work are:
- Analytical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Resilience, flexibility and agility
- Motivation and self-awareness
- Curiosity and lifelong learning
- Technological literacy
- Dependability and attention to detail
- Empathy and active listening
- Leadership and social influence
- Quality control
While all ten matter, it鈥檚 the deeply human capabilities 鈥 communication, curiosity, character, and care 鈥 that schools like ours are uniquely positioned to nurture. These skills are not developed through content alone. While academic rigour and strong foundations in knowledge remain essential, these capabilities flourish when students are also given opportunities to apply what they know 鈥 through relationships, challenge, storytelling, service, feedback, and reflection. They are strengthened here at All Saints, where community, character, and curiosity are central to the learning journey.
Leadership Without a Badge
Recently, I visited our Science Ambassadors 鈥 senior students mentoring younger peers through hands-on experiments. Their confidence, clarity and composure were a joy to witness. They weren鈥檛 following a script; they were stepping up, leading through listening, explaining, adapting.
These are All Saints students not just learning science 鈥 but demonstrating the kind of character and capability that will carry them far beyond the classroom. They were applying their knowledge in service of others, and in doing so, developing confidence, empathy, and communication 鈥 the very capabilities the world now deems most vital.
And we see it everywhere.
Walk through our Senior School Pastoral Centre or library at any given time, and you鈥檒l find study groups formed not out of necessity, but out of genuine collaboration 鈥 students teaching one another, exchanging ideas, and working through challenges together. It鈥檚 learning driven by community, not competition. It鈥檚 the kind of environment where active listening, social influence, and resilience are practised daily, not just taught in theory.
And of course, public speaking remains a through-line across all year levels at All Saints 鈥 not as a performance exercise, but as a deeply embedded method of learning. When our students stand up to share their thinking 鈥 whether in Year 3 or Year 12 鈥 they are learning to structure ideas, hold presence, persuade, and connect with their audience. These moments aren鈥檛 just about building presentation skills 鈥 they are about forming young people who can communicate clearly, lead thoughtfully, and show courage in public.
These are the traits the world is asking for. And we鈥檙e proud that they are already lived and learned every day here at All Saints.
What Are You Learning Right Now?
One of the most provocative findings in the report is this: 鈥淪ix in 10 workers will require training before 2027 鈥 yet only half of employees currently have access to adequate learning opportunities.鈥
The world isn鈥檛 slowing down. So here鈥檚 a question 鈥 not for our students, but for all of us across the All Saints community.
What are you learning at the moment? Is it something for work? Something personal? A mindset shift? A challenge you鈥檙e navigating?
For me, I鈥檝e recently started learning the guitar with Mr Briggs. It鈥檚 been humbling, joyful, and sometimes frustrating 鈥 exactly like learning should be. And it鈥檚 reminded me of this important truth: learning doesn鈥檛 end when school ends. It can begin 鈥 or begin again 鈥 at any age, and it鈥檚 something we must model as adults if we want our children to embrace it themselves.
So perhaps this week, share something you鈥檙e learning with your child. Let them see the real you 鈥 curious, growing, open to being challenged. That example, within the context of family and community, is as powerful as anything we teach in the classroom.
Capability Over Content
The Future of Jobs Report closes with this line: 鈥淓ducation systems need to pivot 鈥 from knowledge transmission to capability cultivation.鈥
That doesn鈥檛 mean we move away from academic rigour 鈥 quite the opposite. It means we broaden our definition of success. We ask different questions. We prepare students not just for exams, but for relationships, reinvention, and responsibility. We help them grow in character as well as cognition.
At All Saints, this is central to our purpose. And it鈥檚 central to our next chapter. Right now, we are drawing on community voice 鈥 students, parents, staff and alumni 鈥 to help shape the All Saints Blueprint: a shared vision for the future of our school. The capabilities described in the Future of Jobs Report 鈥 from curiosity and creative thinking to empathy and leadership 鈥 will be essential pillars in that plan. Not just because they鈥檙e future-relevant, but because they鈥檙e timeless.
The future of work may be uncertain. But the values that will stand the test of time are not.
Let鈥檚 keep building them 鈥 together, as a school and as a community.
Matt Corbett
Principal
