Skills Before Credentials: Are We Preparing Young People for the Jobs of 2030?
What if we stopped asking young people, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and started asking, “What have you had the opportunity to try?”
For generations, young people have been encouraged to graduate from high school, choose a college or university program, earn a credential, and then enter the workforce.
But the world of work is changing—and quickly.
LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise 2026 research points to an important shift: employers are increasingly looking beyond degrees, job titles and traditional career paths to focus on what people can actually do. Among the growing areas are AI-related capabilities, communication, collaboration, leadership and other practical skills.
At the same time, young Canadians are navigating a challenging transition into employment. Statistics Canada reported that the unemployment rate for Canadians aged 15–24 was 12.6% in July 2026, still above the 2017–2019 pre-pandemic average of 10.8%.
This raises an important question:
Are we helping young people choose an education—or are we helping them prepare for a career?
A Credential Is Valuable. But It Is Only Part of the Equation.
College, university, apprenticeships and other forms of education continue to play an important role in preparing people for many careers.
But choosing a program should not be the beginning of career exploration.
It should be one of the outcomes of it.
Before a young person invests years of their life and significant financial resources into a program, they should have opportunities to explore questions such as:
What am I interested in? What are my strengths? What does this career actually involve? What skills will I need? What educational pathway leads there? What employment opportunities could be available afterward? And, most importantly, have I had an opportunity to experience this field before committing to it?
This is why DJJI Learning Hub Foundation believes in a simple principle:
Explore before you enroll.
We want young people to move from uncertainty to opportunity by discovering who they are, exploring possible careers and developing practical skills before making major educational decisions.
The Rise of Skills Changes Career Exploration
Artificial intelligence makes this conversation even more urgent.
Canada recently launched its National AI Literacy Initiative, designed to provide free practical AI learning opportunities. The initiative is expected to reach up to one million post-secondary students and more than 50,000 K–12 educators.
Canada's broader AI strategy also emphasizes preparing young people for an AI-enabled economy through practical training and work opportunities.
But preparing young people for the future cannot simply mean teaching everyone how to use AI.
Technology will change.
Jobs will change.
Some occupations will evolve, and entirely new ones will emerge.
Young people therefore need something deeper: the ability to learn, adapt, communicate, collaborate, think critically, solve problems and continuously develop new skills.
From “What Career Should I Choose?” to “Let Me Experience It.”
Imagine a student who thinks they want to become an accountant.
Before choosing a post-secondary program, why not give that student an opportunity to experience basic accounting?
A student interested in programming could try coding.
Someone considering entrepreneurship could learn how to develop a simple business idea.
A student interested in social media, graphic design, healthcare, fitness, education or another profession could experience introductory activities connected to that field.
The objective isn't to make a teenager choose one career for the rest of their life.
The objective is to help them make their next decision with more information than they had before.
That is the thinking behind DJJI Learning Hub Foundation's Discover YOU approach.
Career exploration should be active.
Discover yourself.
Explore careers.
Test your interests.
Develop skills.
Connect with mentors and professionals.
Then make an informed educational decision.
And if the experience helps a student discover, “This career isn't for me,” that is not failure.
That is valuable information discovered early.
Skills + Education + Experience + Mentorship
The future of career preparation should not force us to choose between credentials and skills.
Young people can benefit from both.
Education provides knowledge and recognized qualifications. Practical experiences help students understand how knowledge is applied. Skills help them perform. Mentorship gives them access to people who have already travelled the road they are considering.
Together, these can help young people make more informed decisions about their futures.
At DJJI Learning Hub Foundation, our goal is to help bridge the space between “I don't know what I want to do” and “I understand my options, I've explored them, and I'm ready to take my next step.”
The future belongs to young people.
Our responsibility is not to choose that future for them.
Our responsibility is to give them meaningful opportunities to discover it.
Let’s change the question.
Instead of only asking:
“What do you want to be?”
Let's also ask:
“What would you like the opportunity to try?”
Because before young people commit years to preparing for a career, perhaps we should first give them the opportunity to test it.
Don’t just guess your future—test it.
— DJJI Learning Hub Foundation
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