Young people need lessons in self-belief to tackle new workplace threats like Artificial Intelligence, according to the former education secretary Baroness Morgan.
The Conservative peer, who served as education secretary under David Cameron, will issue a call on Monday for a new curriculum in England’s schools which teaches more “character development opportunities”, including self-belief, determination and resilience.
A “character education” will prepare pupils for “the fast-changing economy”, with new challenges including AI and the transition to net zero, she will say.
Baroness Morgan has written a briefing calling for changes to the curriculum that will be published on Monday with the Social Market Foundation (SMF), a cross-party think tank.
The report will argue that young people need to be educated in more than knowledge and technical skills.
In a comment issued ahead of publication, Baroness Morgan said: “Developing positive character traits is important for young people and employers. Who we are, how we interact with others, the qualities and values we display are fundamental to flourishing in the workplace of the next decade and beyond.”
Jamie Gollings, deputy research director at SMF, said: “The dawn of generative AI has made it clear just how different the workplace and society of the mid century may be from that today – how this will impact on what knowledge, and which skills will still be vital, is hard to predict.
