Wednesday, 21 March 2012 17:26

“Who Will Be Suitable For Business?” - 2nd Keynote Speech by Francesco Avvisati

Francesco Avvisati speaking at Suitable for Business 2012 Francesco Avvisati speaking at Suitable for Business 2012

The second day of the Suitable for Business conference 2012 was opened by an informative presentation by Francesco Avvisati of the OECD entitled “Who Will Be Suitable For Business?”. Through his work as an analyst at CERI, Centre for Educational Research and Development at the OECD, he is part of the pioneering research group, looking into emerging trends and how universities should act consequently.

 

Innovation has been identified a the special ingredient which makes individuals successful and allows them to create value for the future. The unifying principle of the innovation strategy as applied by the OECD is the empowering of people to innovate. The two trends identified in the labour market are globalisation and technology.

Mr. Avvisati furthermore elaborated on the demand for skills and how they differ within various areas. He moreover discussed innovation skills from the point of view of students as the OECD has carried out surveys investigating which of the skills acquired by students while at university they found to be the most useful and which the least.

 

Considering future needs, Mr. Avvisati stated that he believes jobs will become less and less static; we will need to continuously update our skills. When contemplating an issue which has proved recurring during Suitable for Business event, namely that of breadth versus depth pertaining to university educations, Mr. Avvisati comes down on the side of depth, highlighting the need for specialised knowledge rather than broad knowledge.

 

His concluding words of advice were as follows: supply passion, bring critical perspective, and bring your own energy to your job. Those factors will help you make a difference and become Suitable for Business!


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