More emphasis on “human skills” crucial for up-and-coming workers: RBC

A new study by the Royal Bank of Canada calls on postsecondary programs to put more focus on “human-skills” such as critical thinking, active listening, and social perceptiveness, the Globe and Mail reports. The federal government has reportedly emphasized the importance of STEM disciplines to prepare young people for a labour force premised on technological advances, but RBC cautions against overemphasizing technological training at the cost of foundational human skills. “We believe there's a national dialogue that's lacking around this issue,” stated RBC President Dave McKay. “It won't be good enough if we keep training ourselves on the same old, same old going forward — machines can do a lot of what we're training students for.” Globe and Mail