Education is our most powerful tool for preparing young people for the future. Although there is much about the future that we can’t know or prepare for, there are some areas where we can make predictions with real confidence.

Nesta’s recent research with Pearson explores how employment is likely to change in the future. The findings provide strong evidence that a mix of social and cognitive skills - what are sometimes described as '21st century skills' - are associated with occupations that are expected to become more important. So how should policymakers ensure that our education system reflects the nature of work in the future?

We asked five leading experts:

‘If you were Education Secretary, what would you prioritise to ensure our education system was preparing people for the nature of work in 2030?’

We also held a public vote for the best answer, see the results below. We’ll be discussing how our education system can prepare people for the future at our flagship education and skills event, Acting Now for Future Skills.

1. 'Prioritise wellbeing and make sure exams are not the only measure of success'

2. 'Improve teacher training'

3. 'Track how business developments are affecting the demands for different types of skills'

4. 'Give greater priority to cyber security, virtual reality, engineering, robotics and computer science in the curriculum'

5. 'Recognise the importance of public services in addressing future challenges and promoting careers in public sector'

Your favourite answer: