When you look at the curricula for today’s high school and gymnasium students, it’s striking that topics such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, and robotics receive hardly any attention. It doesn’t matter which state you look at, because despite differing educational approaches, not enough attention is given to these future technologies. Worse still, a growing number of students are—as things stand today—not equipped to meet the educational demands of the digitalized workplace.
What are the causes?
Our education system is structured in stages. Typically, young people go through the following stages:
Kindergarten/Preschool >> Elementary School >> High School/Gymnasium >> Vocational Training/College/University >> Work life.
Each institution should create the necessary conditions to ensure a smooth transition from one stage to the next. Ideally, institutions should coordinate with one another to ensure that children are taught all the necessary skills and know what to expect next. To implement a comprehensive educational approach, institutions must communicate with one another and also consider the period following the school years. Ultimately, the goal is to empower young people to live independently, become active members of society, and be prepared to meet the challenges of the future.
Is enough being done about this?
The PISA Study: A Barometer of Academic Achievement?
The OECD’s PISA studies, which are normally published every three years, provide a cross-sectional snapshot of global educational achievement—one that is recognized even among experts. And when this data is used as a benchmark for the success of educational approaches, their glaring weaknesses become apparent—particularly in the relevant natural sciences, and even in mathematics and reading/writing. The level of proficiency is steadily declining; the number of high-achieving students is decreasing, while the percentage of low-achieving students is rising. This is all the more concerning given that these studies are conducted with 15-year-olds—children who will soon be moving on to the final stage of their education (high school graduation, vocational training, or college) and then entering the workforce. Take action to counter this and urgently needed skills through our proven methodology Challenge & Encourage Creating jobs is crucial for our country’s future economic situation.
Robotics and AI as Drivers of Progress
The decline in educational standards is driving the shortage of skilled workers to unprecedented levels and is forcing us to rely much more heavily on innovations and technical solutions to compensate. At the same time, demographic trends are causing the number of employable residents to decline, meaning that fewer and fewer workers must accomplish more and more. Here, too, it is absolutely essential to automate tasks that are necessary but repetitive, strenuous, dangerous, or simply harmful to health Delegating tasks to robotic systemsthat are also more efficient and less prone to errors in their specialized fields. The current global crises demonstrate just how important it is for Germany, as a business location, to finally “step on the gas” and secure—permanently—a stable position among the leading industrial nations by focusing on innovation, network technologies, AI software, and robotics. Thinking globally is important, but the core—the brain—of every innovation should, no, must lie within our own country, safe from the economic and political ups and downs of global fluctuations.
Germany in 2030: A Strong Education System Equals a Strong Economy?
We therefore need German visionaries, engineers, developers, integrators, and people with a background in the natural sciences—people who have been able to build their knowledge base within a harmonious system that takes the job market into account and, this is a key point, were exposed to future technologies at an early stage, learn to understand them, integrate them naturally into their daily lives and work environments, and creatively develop them further.
So let’s summarize:
It is important that children and young people are prepared, while still in school, for a workforce that incorporates technologies such as robotics, AI, and integrated network systems. It cannot and should not be the responsibility of companies to make up for the shortcomings of the education system by providing their new employees with costly adult training programs. Or, even more precarious, to be unable to find employees in their own country because the next generation a) knows nothing about the opportunities in these industries and b) simply does not meet the requirements for a smooth training program.
We therefore call for—no, we expect—a shift in educational policy
- A well-balanced and forward-thinking learning concept that combines tradition with modernity.
- A greater focus on and a significantly expanded number of class hours for STEM subjects, as well as information about related career fields, vocational training programs, college majors, etc.
- Teaching foundational knowledge about technical innovations—not as a purely theoretical construct, but through hands-on experience and with the support of experts and “pioneers” in AI, robotics, and software development.
- The establishment and ongoing development of a large pool of well-educated young people with an interest in technology—who not only achieve top scores in PISA studies but are also successful in their professional lives and, through self-actualization, are able and willing to help make the German economy a leader in innovation for future technologies.
We realize that it’s not enough to pass the buck to schools and wait for the perfect future employees to be “delivered” to us on a silver platter—we have to take action ourselves!
We are already getting involved today and have partnerships with schools and organizations We collaborate closely with universities and initiate projects with them. Security Robotics is also committed to supporting apprentices and adult education. We provide training at our own academy or in partnership with others Educational institutions, provide regular updates at the Innovation Days and participate in events such as the BDSW Education and Training Day All educational institutions should demonstrate this commitment, network with one another, and work together to build a future-oriented education system.
The latest KUKA Future Survey confirms that new technologies are THE opportunity for Germany as a business location.
After all, the concrete need for digitalization experts, robotics specialists, AI developers, and integrators has long been evident; it is up to us to work together to meet this need—both for current demands and for the future. One thing is clear: our collective future will be shaped by how we work together with motivation—as educators, teachers, lecturers, researchers, and, of course, users. So let’s do the right thing!