I spend a lot of time in schools, colleges, and conversations with employers, and if there’s one phrase that keeps coming up, often with a sigh attached, it’s “work ready”.

The challenge is that we’re all using the same words, but we’re not always talking about the same thing.

For a long time, work readiness has been treated as a shorthand for qualifications. Get the grades. Complete the course. Tick the box. Job done. 🙄

But that definition is no longer holding up in the real world of work, and employers are feeling it, and letting me know about it!

The world of work has moved. Our definition hasn’t.

Jobs are changing faster than curricula. Technology is now baked into almost every role, whether we label it a “tech job” or not. AI is already embedded in tools young people will be expected to use, often from day one.

At the same time, entry-level roles are less structured than they used to be. There’s more ambiguity, more self-direction, and more expectation that people can figure things out as they go.

Employers aren’t saying young people lack potential. Far from it. What they’re saying is that many arrive without the behaviours, confidence, and digital fluency needed to operate effectively in modern workplaces.

That’s not necessarily a young people problem. It’s a system problem... or a system lag, either way, it's THE SYSTEM that hasn't prepared them.

Work readiness is about how someone shows up

When employers talk honestly about work readiness, they rarely start with technical knowledge.

They talk about reliability. Communication. Attitude. Curiosity.  Trustworthy. Willingness to learn. Whether someone can take feedback without crumbling, or ask a sensible question instead of freezing. Whether they can use digital tools well enough to get the job done, without blindly trusting whatever an AI tool spits out.

These things don’t sound flashy. But they are the foundations of employability employers need💪

Without them, any qualification struggles to translate into real workplace contribution.

Qualifications still matter, but they’re not enough

This isn’t an anti-qualification argument. Qualifications can open doors and create pathways. They still have value.

But on their own, they don’t prepare young people for the reality of work today. They don’t teach how to navigate uncertainty, manage time without constant supervision, or adapt when the brief changes halfway through.

And they certainly don’t guarantee confidence with modern digital or AI-powered tools, which are now part of everyday working life across most sectors.

This is why employers are spending so much time and money on onboarding and re-training. They’re filling gaps that could have been addressed earlier.

Pre-skilling beats re-skilling. Every time.

Gem

So what does being work ready actually look like?

A work-ready young person today doesn’t know everything. That’s not the point.

They can, however, turn up consistently, communicate clearly, and take responsibility for their learning. They’re comfortable using digital tools, curious about AI rather than intimidated by it, and able to question outputs rather than accept them blindly.

They understand that learning doesn’t stop when school or college ends. It continues on the job, through experience, feedback, and reflection.

Why this matters now

If we continue to frame work readiness as qualifications alone, we leave young people underprepared and employers frustrated, then act surprised when skills shortages keep growing.

If instead we start earlier, teaching the qualities, behaviours, digital confidence, and AI literacy that modern work actually demands, we give young people a far better start 🚀

This isn’t about lowering expectations. It’s about aligning them with reality.

Work readiness has changed. Our responsibility is to change how we prepare young people for it.

And yes, it requires continuous learning from all of us too. Educators, employers, and those of us building new pathways have to stay curious, stay honest, and stay connected to the world of work as it actually is.

Because when we get this right, young people arrive more confident, employers gain capable entry-level talent, and the whole system works better.

📢 Pre-skilling beats re-skilling!!

Gem 😎✌️
Founder, miFuture