Change is the only thing that is consistent and constant in the world. The world today has drastically transformed into a new one. It is not at all like it was a decade ago. There are almost all the things or tasks that are made easier than ever before. The Internet has the ability to connect you to the whole world. It is now possible to earn a living with only a laptop and a few skills. Travelling and learning the diversified culture was not so affordable and easy before. Connecting to people is just a click apart these days. 
When you wish to have any products or services, you have hundreds of millions of choices, and that too delivered at your doorstep. Ordering food online from your favourite restaurant was just a dream a couple of years ago. Moreover, we have access to a huge amount of information and that too, for free. Learning anything has become so easy, everything you want to learn is available on the Internet in your own language and interactive videos.
So, when we have seen so many changes in the 21st century, what is lagging behind. Education, the foundation of every industry, is far behind. It has seen the disturbance the most. The use of technology is taking over to formal teaching and learning and it has been growing. The traditional education system is being pressurized by the digital disruption and the new employment paradigm. This demands educational systems to provide experience-driven learning so that the students can prepare for the future job landscape. It is now common to see people taking up online courses to learn new skills, like a PMP certification course, cybersecurity course, or Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
There are certain skills that have become crucial to develop so that the learners are in sync with the skills in-demand model. The World Economic Forum conducted a survey and found 9 industries and 15 regions that identified key skills that will be necessary for the future. Those are the four C’s namely:
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Collaboration
In addition to the competencies and capabilities of the candidates, the above mentioned soft skills are highly valued in today’s world. Each of these has a powerful and unique aspect in one’s career. These four C’s have been signified as the skills of the 21st century as they improve a learner’s ability to succeed both socially and professionally in the rapidly changing world.
Let us now have a deeper look at these skills.
Communication
Simply put, communication is the exchange of ideas on anything with your colleagues or co-workers. Connecting to the people and around you and encouraging a clear exchange of views or information between individuals and groups is termed as communication. Strong communication allows students/individuals to create space for each other to share their opinion clearly and then provide feedback. The way of communication greatly affects the overall results. Developing good communication skills have become crucial in order to succeed both in student life and the life ahead where you build your career.
While technology is rapidly replacing interpersonal communication, it is going to be the key skill with an increased value if you wish to pursue a good career. Making healthy discussions and avoiding conflicts are aspects of good communication. That is the reason why communication has been considered a golden skill.
Collaboration
Working together to achieve a common goal is something called collaboration. With collaboration, individuals work together as a team and get multiple inputs and ideas and build a plan that is going to be the best course of action among all the suggestions. Collaboration has the ability to take you further on your goal which is otherwise very difficult.
For working together as a team, individuals should manage and assign roles for each team member, each one should be punctual and finish their tasks on time, schedule meeting times to discuss their progress that suits everyone in the team.
Since collaborations are essential for any company or student, it has been signified as a crucial skill of the 21st century.
Creativity
Creativity is one of the skills that are unique to human nature. It is the creativity that lets you do something innovative or new. Creativity comes to an individual from childhood itself. But then, our education system must not suppress this skill by making students learn exactly what they are taught. Instead, they should be allowed to think out of the box and act accordingly.
Every gadget or technique we use today is the result of the people being creative and innovative. The inventions are the result of the people who imagined that and jolted it to his/her work. Thinking about new ideas and opinions and bringing new perspectives are the aspects of creativity. It helps people to be productive by enabling them to be proactive and non-conventional. Creativity allows an individual to look at the information from different perspectives and come up with a new and better solution.
Critical thinking
Solving problems needs a person to think critically. Reasonable reflective thinking is referred to as critical thinking. In other words, observing the events that happen and drawing conclusions to find out a logical connection between the ideas are the aspects of critical thinking. It enables the students to separate facts from opinions, hence empowering them to discover the truth. Through this, they learn to interpret facts and figures.
Why are the 4 C’s Important?
The present job scenario and competencies are entirely different from what they were in the past. According to the U.S. Department of Labor report, 65% of students will have jobs that don’t even exist today. Jobs today require an interactive way of communication and thinking critically to cope up with the challenges that are new and have never existed before. Being proficient only in reading, writing and math skills is not enough in today’s world and enforcing the 4 C’s will better prepare students for the jobs tomorrow.
The education system now needs to rethink strategies to make students future-ready. The best thing about these skills is that they can be learned and improved at any point in time, to succeed in the 21st century.
