“As skills and energy became more of a demand, people who didn’t have skills just got left behind, got shuttled to the side. Education didn’t keep up with their promise. Education didn’t prepare them for this new world” – JULIAN BOND
Sometime in 2019, I got an email from my son’s school asking if Parents had any afterschool club ideas. I immediately thought about my son who had remained in his football club for several terms. Although I did not mind, I thought to develop something my 8-year-old son – who might not necessarily be described as ‘book smart’ but one who is extremely creative and loves to take risks could engage in and where he could channel his energies appropriately. The name of the club was called ‘Kidpreneur Klub’, and it started on the 1st of May 2019. Its purpose was simply to embrace talents and skills that teachers in ‘regular’ classrooms might not necessarily appreciate.
Based on research, there has recently been a heavy focus on improving technical skills such as computer programming and data science while the development of soft skills has taken a back seat. Entrepreneurial education however offers much more than can be imagined. It teaches basic life skills barely taught within the classrooms but useful to future-proof our children to thrive and flourish in the 21st century.
Developing interpersonal skills and making a first good impression is huge and children should be encouraged to learn it.
It is never too early to begin to help our kids hone these ‘most in-demand’ skills for the future and for life. What skills will be most in demand in the future you may ask? There are a couple of them but according to Employment hero, 6 of the most in-demand skills for the future of work are:
· Innovation and creativity
· Problem-solving and critical thinking
· Growth mindset
· Leadership
· Interpersonal skills
· Data analysis
While we teach entrepreneurship, which is the ability to start and grow a business, we focus heavily on life skills development also called soft skills. Developing interpersonal skills and making a first good impression is huge and children should be encouraged to learn it.
I would like to share the story of Kidpreneurs Brandon and Sebastian Martinez who are brilliant at what they do…What do they do you may ask? They design and sell socks!
Here is a quick insight into their story.
Young Sebastian was always happy to receive a pair of socks as a gift and had more than 100 pairs of colourful and wacky designs by age 5.
“When I was 5, my mom saw the passion I had for socks and asked me if I wanted to design my own,” Sebastian says. “I immediately went to the table and started making my own designs with crayons.”
It took about a year to launch Sebastian’s designs into real socks, but once the family did, the stock began to sell quickly. “We started getting a lot of attention,” Brandon says.
But guess what happened on the Big Sales day?
Young Sebastian was shy and could not speak with strangers and became ‘stranded’. Quickly, his brother – Brandon was called to help. Brandon immediately dazzled the customers and had them buying lots of socks!
Brandon quickly earned the title ‘Director of Sales’ and the company recorded its first sales that day with tens of thousands of socks sold till date.
Starting a business by developing a product or service is one thing, selling it to customers is another. Strong interpersonal skills are not only beneficial but also relevant for day-to-day life.
How can kids present themselves in a confident manner and make a good impression?
According to June Hines Moore, a simple way to properly present yourself to others and make a first good impression goes by these ‘Six S’s’ and they stand for the following:
Stand: Always stand to meet or greet someone who is standing.
Smile: A smile goes a mile
See their eyes: Politely look a person in the eye.
Shake hands: A firm handshake is ‘generally’ accepted as a polite form of greeting,
Say your name: “Hello, my name is [insert your name]; it’s nice to meet you.”
Say the other person’s name: For instance, you can simply say, “Hello [insert the person’s name], I’m [your name]. It’s nice to meet you too”.
Till I come your way again…
Yejide Akiode (MBA) is an Education Disruptor, Author of Kids can entrepreneur too and Entrepreneurial stories for kids’ picture book series. She is also the initiator of the award-winningKidpreneur Klub®. She resides in the United Kingdom.
