The Center for Curriculum Redesign (CCR) is pleased to announce it has received a grant from International Baccalaureate (IB), a nonprofit educational foundation offering high quality programs of international education to students from almost 5,000 schools across more than 150 countries. The grant was issued for the study and examination of two IB programs designed to prepare students aged 16 to 19 for future employment and to recommend areas for improvement to help students thrive in the 21st century labor market.
With changes in the skills demanded by the current and future labor markets, students need to master new competencies to adapt to these trends in an innovation-driven economy. For the economy to stay competitive, it needs to shift from a knowledge-based economy to a learning-based economy where citizens will not only generate knowledge but also know how to apply it, how to behave and engage in the world, and how to reflect, adapt, and “learn how to learn.”
The study conducted by CCR will provide an overview of current trends shaping the labor market and identify the most important and relevant skills that are required to be successful in these areas. The research will review two of IB’s global education programs to identify the skills that are addressed and the areas that are missing. To make these insights actionable, CCR will review best practices in 21st education of skills, compare them with current IB programs, and recommend enhancements to the curriculum.
Brad Shrimpton, Head of Research at IB, said, “We are delighted to be working with CCR on this study, which will help us gain important insights to develop our curricula.”
The study will evaluate the degree to which the IB Diploma Program (DP) and Career-Related (CP) programs incorporate skills associated with high-quality employability.
Charles Fadel, founder of the Center for Curriculum Redesign, and co-author of 21st Century Skills and Four-Dimensional Education, added, “International Baccalaureate enjoys an excellent global reputation for its innovations and pursuit of deeper learning. CCR is excited to undertake this leading-edge work which leverages its broad expertise in whole learners’ four-dimensional education for life and work.”
International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment. These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. For more information, please visit ibo.org.