How to teach teenagers to embrace uncertainty | Letters

Gillian Harvey (The ‘work hard and you’ll get a good job’ mantra is no longer true – so what do I tell my kids?, 12 June) rightly advocates a much broader work-life balance. If only we had an education system in step with the rapidly evolving world of work. The polarisation of knowledge and skills inhibits the kind of thinking our children need, as does the notion that there is only one opportunity for them to gain qualifications.

So many things can and do go wrong for 16- and 18-year-olds. People need lifelong affordable education. Enlightened nations are more wedded to critical and creative thinking to enable young people to interrogate change, and to work with and around it. The resultant benefit is that challenges are less daunting. To that end, maybe we need to reinvigorate teamworking in industry and group problem-solving in schools. Maastricht University bases its degrees on such learning methods. Isn’t that much better value for money – especially as AI takes hold?

And we must not discount personal interests that keep the brain active, even when not directly work-related. A more harmonious blend of work and leisure could provide job and life satisfaction.
Yvonne Williams
Ryde, Isle of Wight