Skills agendas in the 21st century: Understanding the stories

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills caught such a grip on public policy that it is often thought to be the only statement of the skills agenda. Yet it is more accurate to view it as one of many such agendas articulated as the century progressed. Irrespective of the agency promoting the agenda, the focus was on the changing requirements of the ‘world of work’. Such a repetitive narrative reflected neo-liberalism and the obsession of its adherents with developing the knowledge economy. The chapter questions this obsession with harnessing the school curriculum to the future labour needs of the economy. Instead, it will explore an imaginary that highlights the needs of citizens in this century to possess more than skills designed to enhance their employability. It will focus on the importance of values that can serve them and their planet in these extraordinary times and will draw a link between skills and the values needed for survival. Copyright © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Kerry J. Kennedy, Margarita Pavlova and John Chi-Kin Lee; individual chapters, the contributors.