What is more, when discussing quantity, we should not forget quality, especially if we seek to prepare ourselves for technological changes and the impending fourth industrial revolution. What skills will be most in demand? No one knows. And anyone who thinks they do are probably mistaken. As the astronaut Buzz Aldrin once said, ‘You promised me colonies on Mars. And instead, I got... Facebook’.
I take this to mean that we can only guess what the future has in store for us. Which is why we have to move towards an educational system that is flexible and oriented towards lifelong learning, both formal and informal, including adult education and effective retraining. Such a system is the only way to prepare our people for rapid structural change.