An Event for the Future
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Powered by Deakin University’s extensive research, Local Peoples presented ‘100 Jobs of The Future’ at Melbourne Design Week.
We sat down with Local Peoples founder, Giuseppe Demaio, to reflect on the March event: an interactive exhibit that saw participants examine their skills and attitudes to architect their future dream job.
First up, what was the 100 Jobs of The Future event about?
GD: The event was a collaboration between Local Peoples, Matters Journal and Deakin University that celebrated learning and the future of work. There were several parts including an exhibition that we designed to bring to life the “100 Jobs of The Future” research that Deakin was doing.
It was a fantastic piece of research and the exhibition encouraged attendees to consider what their future career might look like. Through a quiz designed by Deakin’s researchers, people were encouraged to share their passions and interests. With a little bit of crystal balling into the future, the quiz predicted what type of jobs might suit a given individual.
They would then map their future jobs out on a physical mind map we created using colour coded string. It was an amazing look at what type of jobs and skills would be reimagined.
On the day, we also hosted the College of the Curious, an experimental learning environment that Local Peoples has been developing. We also launched Matters Journal Issue 4, which is all about learning the future and featured some stories inspired by a selection of research from Deakin.
Why did you choose to host it at Melbourne Design week?
GD: Put on by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Design Week is a fantastic week that celebrates all things creative and design focused. It is one of the most innovative and creative events in Australia.
We were one of over a hundred events on the program this year, and it was really well attended even though the global pandemic was on the horizon.
For us, Melbourne Design Week was the best place to showcase the creative nature of our partnership with Deakin.
Why was it important for the exhibition to be interactive?
GD: One of the things we are really passionate about at Local Peoples is bringing amazing research and thinking to life, especially in the real world and in physical form through experience design. We really love the idea of making research interactive, because it allows people to engage with it on a very different level.
We can situate people in the context of the research and allow them to experience it in a way that they might not normally be able to. The “100 Jobs of The Future” exhibition revealed how different the future of work actually looks. It also got them to consider how they might have to evolve as people.
That is the value of experiential design and something we are missing during these times of social distancing.
Engaging with research through digital is great, but being surrounded by it in a physical environment brings a whole new dimension that you might miss out on otherwise.
Why is it necessary to have conversations around and consider the future of work?
GD: The world of work is changing so rapidly. There are so many jobs that exist today that didn’t exist five years ago and that shift is only accelerating.
Consequently, the way we learn and build foundational skill sets and specialist knowledge areas are also changing. The role of wider transferable life skills like creative problem solving, collaboration and empathy are becoming more and more important.
For Australia to maintain its position as leaders in education, we have to explore and embrace new ways of learning and responding to the changing world of work. This is vital for us as a country where education is one of our biggest exports; how we learn is an important part of our society and culture.
Considering the future of work is vital because learning and work are so interrelated, and there is a huge opportunity for us to be leading the way in this space.
What was the partnership with Deakin like?
GD: It has been an incredible collaboration for Matters Journal and Local Peoples. Deakin University made it so easy for us to find and access amazing research. That is a testament to the structure of the university and their whole approach; the way they tackle their research and celebrate it.
Deakin is doing an exceptional job in sharing their amazing thinking with the wider public and bringing it to life in the real world.
Making partnerships like this so accessible is a great example of what all education institutions should be doing.
Do you have any advice for the next generation in embracing the changing employment landscape?
GD: Times have never been more complex but there’s also never been more exciting problems to solve.
While certain industries are undergoing a lot of disruption, I have noticed a growing movement of businesses adopting a human-centred approach. Similar to the human-centred design we practice here at Local Peoples, professions and crafts that really celebrate being human and embrace deep human empathy will continue to grow.
And only people can do this well.
So really build your transferable skills of empathy, creative problem solving, deep listening, communication, storytelling – having those skills will support your own growth. Think of learning as an ongoing and lifelong practice, there is always an opportunity to learn.
Be inquisitive. Be curious.
If you build that into how you are as a person you will be set up to navigate the ever changing landscape of employment.
Interested in working with a B Corp focused on human-centred design and positive change?
