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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/02/young-people-jobs-future-ideas
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| Don't know what sort of jobs to create for young people? Here are some ideas | Don't know what sort of jobs to create for young people? Here are some ideas |
| (3 months later) | |
| Politicians know full well that there is a serious unemployment problem in Europe and many of them also know there is a relationship between youth unemployment, alienation and violence. But they don't seem to know what kind of jobs we should prepare the next generation for. Here are a few suggestions for secure employment in the year 2030. | Politicians know full well that there is a serious unemployment problem in Europe and many of them also know there is a relationship between youth unemployment, alienation and violence. But they don't seem to know what kind of jobs we should prepare the next generation for. Here are a few suggestions for secure employment in the year 2030. |
| Micro-energy traders | Micro-energy traders |
| In the future, much of our energy will be generated, transmitted and stored locally. Interest will therefore grow in what will essentially be an "energy internet", where households and small businesses buy, sell and trade energy within their own local communities. For example, if you have an electric car but don't drive it very often, you could rent out its battery space to store energy for others on a temporary basis. Anyone with the necessary time and technical skills will therefore have the potential to become an energy trader. | In the future, much of our energy will be generated, transmitted and stored locally. Interest will therefore grow in what will essentially be an "energy internet", where households and small businesses buy, sell and trade energy within their own local communities. For example, if you have an electric car but don't drive it very often, you could rent out its battery space to store energy for others on a temporary basis. Anyone with the necessary time and technical skills will therefore have the potential to become an energy trader. |
| Synthetic biologists | Synthetic biologists |
| In the future we will grow energy or, more precisely, we will harvest algae that secretes bio-diesel. Synthetic biology, which is the next big thing which hardly anyone has heard of, is capable of this and a whole lot more. Of course, scientists in other countries are capable of exploiting new technologies too, but will they? Putting aside the inherent fragility of emerging economies, there's the question of whether regions outside the US and Europe, with their long traditions of free speech and creative destruction, will be able to replicate the curiosity and frank exchange of views required to commercialise such thinking. | In the future we will grow energy or, more precisely, we will harvest algae that secretes bio-diesel. Synthetic biology, which is the next big thing which hardly anyone has heard of, is capable of this and a whole lot more. Of course, scientists in other countries are capable of exploiting new technologies too, but will they? Putting aside the inherent fragility of emerging economies, there's the question of whether regions outside the US and Europe, with their long traditions of free speech and creative destruction, will be able to replicate the curiosity and frank exchange of views required to commercialise such thinking. |
| Sharia financiers | Sharia financiers |
| With Muslim populations expanding in Europe, one thing we are likely to see is further growth of Sharia or Islamic finance: for example, Sharia-compliant financial planning or Sharia-compliant venture capital, where making money from money is forbidden. Given current suspicions about traditional British banking, we might also see the development of related forms of ethical banking, where bankers refuse to lend money for purely speculative purposes, preferring instead to lend to individuals or institutions that create or build things with inherent social value. Graduates flocking to get into the next generation of banking? It's not impossible. | With Muslim populations expanding in Europe, one thing we are likely to see is further growth of Sharia or Islamic finance: for example, Sharia-compliant financial planning or Sharia-compliant venture capital, where making money from money is forbidden. Given current suspicions about traditional British banking, we might also see the development of related forms of ethical banking, where bankers refuse to lend money for purely speculative purposes, preferring instead to lend to individuals or institutions that create or build things with inherent social value. Graduates flocking to get into the next generation of banking? It's not impossible. |
| Teachers | Teachers |
| It may not sound very futuristic, but if Europe is to compete with the likes of China and India it needs to become more competitive and education is the key. You might expect education to be virtual by 2030, and parts of it will be, but a fully outsourced, automated, massively open, online future is unlikely to be the case, especially in early years education where socialisation and empathy are key ingredients. Of course, the challenge here is to persuade European governments to spend more on education when their natural inclination will be to downplay their debt by spending less. Let's not forget also that Europe is ageing faster than any other region, so there will be political pressure from voters to switch spending to aged care going forward. We should resist the temptation. | It may not sound very futuristic, but if Europe is to compete with the likes of China and India it needs to become more competitive and education is the key. You might expect education to be virtual by 2030, and parts of it will be, but a fully outsourced, automated, massively open, online future is unlikely to be the case, especially in early years education where socialisation and empathy are key ingredients. Of course, the challenge here is to persuade European governments to spend more on education when their natural inclination will be to downplay their debt by spending less. Let's not forget also that Europe is ageing faster than any other region, so there will be political pressure from voters to switch spending to aged care going forward. We should resist the temptation. |
| Doctors and nurses | Doctors and nurses |
| We've already got e-health, telemedicine, medical tourism and even robotic surgery, so what is it about healthcare, especially in Europe, that's future proof? The answer is trust. Do you really want life-saving surgery to take place in a country where you don't speak the language? And have you ever met a robot with a good bedside manner that can gently hold your hand and tell you that everything will be all right? No. Thought not. | We've already got e-health, telemedicine, medical tourism and even robotic surgery, so what is it about healthcare, especially in Europe, that's future proof? The answer is trust. Do you really want life-saving surgery to take place in a country where you don't speak the language? And have you ever met a robot with a good bedside manner that can gently hold your hand and tell you that everything will be all right? No. Thought not. |
| • This article was amended on 2 July to correct two spelling mistakes in the standfirst | • This article was amended on 2 July to correct two spelling mistakes in the standfirst |
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