Is my child fit for the world of work?

Today's internet-savvy young people are well prepared for the digital world of work - or so you might think. The fact that this is not the case is regularly confirmed during my presentations at training conferences.
Whereas their everyday school life was largely limited to listening, studying and writing exams, young people enter a new world when they start an apprenticeship. The working day lasts more than eight hours and is no longer interrupted by breaks with the same frequency; much more value is placed on punctuality, good manners and a well-groomed appearance than at school; and while commitment and diligence were demanded rather selectively in class, continuity is required in this respect in the training company.

Many young people today have a limited ability to socialise and concentrate.

All of this is stressful, unfamiliar and means a big change in the lives of young people. Especially because many young people start an apprenticeship but are still unsure whether they have chosen the right industry. This is nothing new at first. In the Internet age, however, these doubts are particularly great, as a multitude of opportunities are constantly presented to you online.

Young people are more dependent today

Trainers meet young people who behave differently than generations before them because they spend a lot of time on the internet and social media. That's where they get their information and that's where they communicate. German social scientist and university professor Klaus Hurrelmann appreciates the digital skills of this generation, but also recognises their shortcomings.
Members of this generation are very self-confident, he noted in the German weekly newspaper «Die Zeit», but lack independence. «These young people have limited concentration, stamina and sociability. Many are quickly distracted and are no longer used to behaving appropriately in real social situations due to virtual socialising.» A mum recently gave me a concrete example of this at one of my talks. Her 17-year-old daughter had almost lost her student job because her team leader had been annoyed by her «arrogant messages». But the text - «When should I be there tomorrow?» - was not patronising, just flat and rude. It lacked a friendly form of address or farewell. The girl had communicated with her boss as if she were talking to a friend.

Children do not develop an awareness of dangers

Children and young people are usually not introduced to the use of smartphones or are not accompanied by their parents. Not enough is done in schools in this respect either. Last year, Andreas Wieland, CEO of the medical technology group Hamilton, told SRF that there is a huge gap «between the digital skills we need in the company and what is taught in IT lessons at schools».
Internet investor Klaus Hommels fears that children are wasting their youth with useless programmes. In a speech at the NOAH Conference for executives in London, Hommels calculated that children and young people would spend an average of seven years using services such as Snapchat & Co, which «don't teach them any real life lessons». It remains to be seen what actual benefits young people derive from these services. The fact is that during these seven years, adolescents produce photos, videos or text and voice messages without developing an awareness of the dangers. For them, the internet is a huge playground where things like data protection and privacy play no role whatsoever.

In the digital age, education and training must be more closely interlinked.

Young people enter the workplace, for example at a bank, with this lack of knowledge and skills. Trainers report how their trainees took a selfie in the vault. Others moved closer together for an office group photo without realising that customer-sensitive information was visible in the photo. According to one trainer, every year the demands on the next generation have to be lowered a little further. The fear of constant deprofessionalisation is growing.
Trainers are the first companions in the professional lives of young people. Why should they pay for the failings at home and at school? The issue of children and digitalisation is about much more than media literacy; it is about making children and young people viable.
In the digital age, upbringing and education need to be much more closely interlinked. Parents and teachers must have the big goal in mind of sending people out into the world of work at the end of their schooling equipped in many respects. Only in this way can trainers once again demand more from their trainees and utilise their potential.

Trainers can also benefit

But there are young people who do have these skills, you may object. And you are right. Training companies can benefit from the digital savvy of their trainees by involving them in drawing up internal mobile phone rules. Involving trainees in the implementation of such a set of rules gives them the feeling that they are being taken seriously.
And involving them in the company's social media activities not only teaches them something new, but also creates a stronger sense of identification with the company among the trainees.

Preparing well for life and training

• New media must become a stronger focus of education and training.
• We must recognise that operating competence is not media competence.
• The values of a society also apply in the digital space, but must be constantly communicated.
• We must not let children and young people go it alone in the digital world, but must be reliable advisors.
• Parents and schools should sensitise and strengthen young people in their communication behaviour and establish rules for communication - whether by letter, email or messenger.

To the author:

Thomas Feibel, 56, is the leading journalist on the subject of «children and new media» in
Germany. The media expert runs the Office for Children's Media in Berlin, gives readings and lectures, and organises workshops and seminars.
His most recent book for parents, «Jetzt pack doch mal das Handy weg», was published by Ullstein-Verlag. Feibel is married and has four children.

Read more about media literacy:

• Media literacy was yesterday. Children need reading skills!
• Media use: No orientation without rules