Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 19 December 2017 (HL3873), what assessment they have made of the World Economic Forum report, The Future of Jobs: Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, that "social skills, such as persuasion, emotional intelligence and teaching others, will be in higher demand across industries than narrow technical skills, such as programming or equipment operation and control".

The department is carefully considering the World Economic Report.

We expect all schools to offer a broad and balanced education consisting of an academically rigorous, knowledge-based curriculum, which is supported by the development of essential life skills such as confidence, teamwork and resilience.

Schools are also encouraged to offer extra-curricular activities aimed at developing these skills through after-school clubs and through programmes such as the National Citizen Service (NCS) and the Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP). The government will be investing over £1 billion during the next four years to make NCS a rite of passage for many 16 and 17 year olds.

The government has committed £50 million of LIBOR funding to the CEP to deliver 500 cadet units in schools across the UK by April 2020. Cadet units in schools provide extraordinary opportunities for career and personal development for pupils and staff alike. In October 2017, the department announced a £22 million Essential Life Skills programme in the 12 ‘Opportunity Areas’. It will enable schools to offer extra-curricular activities, aimed at developing the non-cognitive skills of disadvantaged pupils living in areas where social mobility is low.