Giving Compass' Take:

• Research group affiliated with The Economist Magazine released a study that found the U.S. is behind in preparing students for the digital, automated future workforce.

• Would it benefit students to be introduced to technology earlier? What would the effect of more screens have on them?

• Students must also be prepared for the gig economy, another facet that will shape the future of education and the workforce. 

The United States is lagging behind other wealthy nations when it comes to preparing students for workforce changes wrought by automation, according to a new study by a research group affiliated with The Economist magazine.

The spread of artificial intelligence is expected to boost demand for science-and-tech skills, as well as for soft skills such as problem-solving that robots can’t easily replicate.

But only a handful of nations have taken steps to update school curricula and teacher training for the changes ahead, the study says.

The study argues that in the future students will need a stronger background in computational thinking, along with artificial intelligence techniques and robotics. The swift pace of technological change will also prize adaptability and require people to continuously upgrade their skills.

These trends will require big-picture thinking from governments, educators, and businesses.

But educators and policymakers are hobbled by the uncertainty that surrounds technology and its effects on the labor market. “We’re in a stage of experimentation,” said James Bessen, an economist with Boston University, “and I think it’s going to take us a couple of decades to figure out which policies and approaches work and which don’t.”

Read the full article about preparing students for the tech workforce by Caroline Preston at The Hechinger Report