A recent publication by the reference news network on the united states of america's forbes magazine website entitled " the six major issues that will affect education and skills development in 2026 "Trends in educationThe article by bernard mal. The article is compiled as follows:
As we move towards 2026Artificial intelligence(ai) has become a powerful support tool for learners and teachers, making individualized learning possible and creating new teaching methods. At the same time, industries are facing an unprecedented “skill crisis” and there is an urgent need to harness new technologies to bring about innovation and growth。
The two issues are closely intertwined. In this fast-paced new world, learning how to learn is the most valuable of all skills, and agility and adaptability may be more important than any degree or qualification。
With this in mind, i believe that the following are some of the most important trends that will affect education and skills in 2026。
Artificial intelligence to play a role in education and learning body
Ai is constantly developing and its intelligent body is its next leap; chat robots like chatgpt can think, act, interact with third-party services, perform complex tasks, not just answer questions and generate content. Teachers will use artificial intelligence to meet individualized learning needs, analyse students ' learning and react and adjust the learning rhythm. For students in both formal and informal settings, they will become personal learning assistants capable of creating personalized, immersive learning environments. An enterprise can use an artificial intelligence body to understand the skills acquired by its staff and proactively fill gaps that hinder the development of their skills。
2. Artificial intelligence
In 2026, learning how to use ai tools safely and effectively is critical for students and those who are about to enter the profession. As society becomes aware of the potential of ai and employers increasingly focus on those who know how to make it work, it is expected that the ai curriculum will be introduced quietly at all levels. This means not only the development of technical skills, but also making learners aware of the dangers that ai may pose and the ethical problems that it entails. It is expected that in 2026, educators, industry and the government will promote ai education into primary classes。
3. Upgrading skills and retraining
Employment is changing, and some expect that millions of jobs may disappear as a result of the emergence of ai. Positions such as customer service personnel, administrative assistants and data entry clerks may become redundant. But many new jobs will also be created to ensure that your skills are not eliminated in 5 to 10 years. Of course, much of this work will be technology-related, covering a wide range of areas from ai to cybersecurity, robotics and biosciences. But this may also include the fact that robots take some time to catch up with human manual labour, such as construction work or trade. It is both an obligation and a basic business survival strategy for employers to ensure that employees have the skills they need to develop in the ai era。
4. Learning as a skill
When the world is changing at an unprecedented pace, the most important capability is to be able to keep pace with that development. The fact is that, no matter how much we predict what skills are the most important, technology can quickly subvert all of this. The truth is that learning is in itself a skill that can be improved through learning and practice. This means taking full advantage of opportunities such as online learning and micro-learning, while also reflecting on ourselves and understanding the individual factors that affect our learning abilities。
For older learners who have already achieved success in their career path, this means finding opportunities to develop and upgrade skills and to expand to new directions. In 2026, none of the skills were fully up to the test of the future — except to learn。
5. Play, experience learning and virtual world
In 2026, technologies such as virtual reality, enhancement of reality and artificial intelligence mean that learning will become more practical, experiential and participatory. Students do not need to read boring texts, but can experience walking in ancient civilizations or entering outer space through simulation launches. Experiments can be conducted in virtual laboratories without the cost or risk of using expensive equipment. We can receive real-time feedback, sensory stimulation and improve our ability to understand our behaviour. Research has repeatedly shown that increased incentives and competition in learning and enhanced interaction can help us to absorb and remember knowledge, and the application of technology to achieve this goal will be a key trend in 2026。
6. People-centred skills
While ai is able to manage a great deal of day-to-day, technical and administrative work, their unreplicable human skills are growing. The ability to develop long-term strategies by fostering interpersonal relationships, leadership, collegiality, collaboration, harnessing the creativity of people themselves, and observing variables that machines cannot see, are key skills of the ai era. As time passes, it will prove increasingly important. In a world controlled by algorithms, from teaching to the development of new technologies, the human factor will continue to play an important role in every occupation. Without this, people are now replaced by machines。
Learning, education and the nature of preparing for the future will continue to change in 2026. But by understanding the key differences between machines and human beings in terms of work, learning and advancing progress, we can be prepared for any changes that are about to take place. The future belongs to those who are good at solving problems and creating a better world by balancing technology and human skills. (compilation/pan xiaoyan)
