Chapter 1

Let’s address the robotic elephant in the room: why on earth should we talk about employability in primary school? These kids are still trying to work out what day it is, some of them believe dinosaurs might still be lurking in the woods, and most of them think “Wi-Fi” is a human right (honestly, they’re not wrong).

But here’s the kicker — the world of work is changing at a pace so fast, even adults are clinging on like they’re riding a rollercoaster in flip-flops.

Artificial Intelligence. Automation. Quantum computing. Job roles like “Drone Traffic Controller” and “Synthetic Personality Designer” sound like science fiction today, but your average 7-year-old could very well be applying for these jobs in 15 years — probably using an AI CV coach and getting interviewed by a hologram.

So if the jobs of the future haven’t been invented yet, how can we possibly prepare our children for them?

Here’s how: we give them skills, not job titles.

The traditional education model — which still tends to reward regurgitating information and remembering facts — was designed in a time when jobs were fixed, predictable, and local. But our children are heading into a future that’s flexible, global, and fuelled by digital tools we haven’t even imagined yet.

Digital skills aren’t optional extras anymore; they’re the new literacy. Just like we wouldn’t dream of letting a child leave school unable to read or write, we shouldn’t let them move forward without the ability to understand how computers think, how to code, how to create with technology, and how to problem-solve like a machine — while still being more human than ever.

And no, we’re not talking about just “screen time” or “gaming”. We’re talking real skills: logic, creativity, digital storytelling, collaboration, debugging, design thinking. All the juicy stuff that employers — the future ones — are already crying out for.

If we wait until secondary school to start, we’re already behind.

🧠 Take-Home Message

The future won’t wait — and neither should we. Teaching digital skills in primary school isn’t about prepping kids for jobs now; it’s about giving them the power to shape the jobs that don’t even exist yet.