Gen Z Students In The UK Now Have To Take Classes That Teach Them How To Be Human
The online course aims to help them brush up on essential life skills they'll need in adulthood.
bunyaritklinsukhonphotos | Canva Pro While Gen Z is known for being digitally savvy, having a social conscience, and prioritizing authenticity over aesthetics, they often struggle with grasping common sense when it comes to socialization. Many of them struggle to do some very basic things that are easy for people in other generations, like making a phone call or asking their employer for a raise.
A 2023 Gallup survey found that nearly half (47%) of Gen Z reported that they often or always feel anxious, making it all the more difficult to do basic tasks. Luckily, a pioneering program in the U.K. is teaching Gen Zers the “soft skills” that will help them navigate everyday life with ease instead of constant anxiety.
Gen Z students in the UK are taking classes that teach them how to be human.
A program known as “Skills 4 Living,” which was originally launched in South Africa, is being introduced to thousands of Gen Zers in the U.K. in hopes to teach more of them about essential life skills that will allow them to flourish without crippling anxiety.
The program that has made its way to Manchester was founded by the UNESCO-partner non-profit Higher Health and aims to reach 10,000 young people in the city region by September. It has partnered with a number of higher education providers, including the University of Manchester, University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University.
One of the objectives of the program is to help Gen Zers tackle their extreme phone anxiety by teaching them how to interact with people and how to communicate effectively during job interviews.
Research has found that a significant portion of Gen Zers struggle with talking on the phone, with around 20% of them claiming that they find it awkward to even answer when they receive a call.
Much of their anxiety surrounding phone calls can be attributed to the type of environment they’ve grown up in.
According to Professor Sandeep Ranote, a leading child psychiatrist, Gen Zers had to deal with a very different global world that had left them lacking some key social skills. “Young people are going into a world with huge challenges that certainly I didn’t have,” she told The Guardian. “I call it the five Cs: they lived through Covid, climate change, cost-of-living, cyberspace, and conflict.”
These uncertainties have contributed to the heightened anxiety Gen Z often grapples with, and many of them are entering the workforce unprepared to deal with everyday situations that will arise.
A survey of 3,000 employers in Greater Manchester in 2023 raised concerns that young recruits were missing “essential life skills” like empathy, time management, speaking to customers, problem-solving, and critical thinking. “Preparing young people to lead confident, healthy and productive lives is key to their employability and long-term well-being,” Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, shared with The Guardian.
The curriculum is designed to help Gen Z thrive in the workforce.
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The curriculum will primarily be delivered online, however students will be expected to test their life skills by completing assessments by interacting in person with others. It will also include seminars on spotting fake news, staying safe on the internet, how to challenge racism, sexism, and homophobia, gambling awareness, and avoiding scams.
According to Ramneek Ahluwalia, the chief executive of Higher Health in South Africa and the U.K., Gen Zers are given few resources in their primary education that will help turn them into adults who can cope with stressful situations.“It’s all about hard skills. Let’s get a plumber out, let’s get an electrician out, let’s get a doctor out,” he shared. “The issue is [that] the world, as it is changing, is wanting a holistic youth, a person who is mental health strong.”
Overlooking these “soft skills” that are essential in the workforce is more detrimental than we may think. Ahluwalia added that studies by Harvard and Stanford Universities found that 85% of job success came from “soft skills.”
It takes more than just experience, education, and overall knowledge of a specific industry to perform a job well. You have to be able to make and receive phone calls, apply constructive criticism, and be willing to have uncomfortable conversations. Since Gen Z represents the future of the workforce, building strong social skills is key to performing and thriving on the job.
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
