Today’s students will enter careers that haven’t even been imagined yet. With AI and automation reshaping entire industries, the skills employers once valued are being overtaken by the need for creativity, adaptability and technological fluency. But how can schools equip students with these essential competencies?

To explore this challenge, EdSurge sat down with Brian Johnsrud, the director of education learning and advocacy at Adobe. He shares insights into how schools can leverage creative tools to equip students with the skills they’ll need to thrive in a world where the only constant is change. Adobe, known for its cutting-edge creative and digital literacy tools, is paving the way for a new approach to education — one that blends technical expertise with the soft skills that will define the workforce of tomorrow.

EdSurge: How can educators prepare students for the future workforce and foster in-demand skills such as creativity and adaptability?

Johnsrud: Educators can stay informed about future workforce trends, including emerging jobs and highly sought-after skills. School leaders are increasingly turning to organizations like the World Economic Forum and analyzing data on the most in-demand skills for the next five years. This allows them to prepare students for future needs, even if the current curriculum doesn't yet demand those skills.

The latest World Economic Forum Jobs Report highlights the top skills that will rise in importance by 2027. Creative thinking leads the list, followed by analytical or critical thinking. The third most important skill is technological literacy, which includes AI and other technologies. Interestingly, the fourth is curiosity and lifelong learning, and the fifth is resilience, flexibility and agility.

What does this shift in skill demands mean for employers and job seekers?

These skills really highlight the skilling revolution we’re facing. Employers increasingly recognize that, while hiring someone with the exact skills needed for a job today is great, those needs will change in a couple of years. The real question is whether the person is a lifelong learner — someone who can self-learn and adapt when the landscape shifts — and whether they possess the resilience, flexibility and agility to thrive in a world and industry that is constantly evolving.

How can creative tools help students develop both technical and soft skills needed for future careers?

One approach is training students on industry-standard tools to familiarize them with what they'll use in the workplace. It’s also important to equip them with professional-quality templates and assets so that the projects they’re creating actually look like professional outputs. Pedagogically, this approach is real-world, authentic, project-based learning. Instead of creating something that only makes sense in a classroom, let’s give them real, authentic projects to work on.

Collaboration is also the future of work, and any creative tool that has built-in collaboration features provides opportunities for students to not just create but to co-create with others, share feedback and exchange ideas.

How can educators choose the right tools to foster creativity in the classroom?

Choose tools that offer both a low floor and a high ceiling, like Adobe Express for Education. This means providing entry points that allow anyone to begin creating, regardless of their starting point. The high ceiling comes into play as you move from Adobe Express all the way to Creative Cloud; you never outgrow our creative tools.

Also, addressing creative confidence is essential, as it often poses a significant barrier for students. Many students think, “I’m not creative; I don’t know if I can design something that looks great.” The fear of the blank canvas is real and can be daunting. Teachers can help by providing professional-looking templates that allow students to focus on content rather than starting from scratch.

What makes a tool truly valuable in education?

A tool’s real value in the classroom goes way beyond its features. It’s about having the right content, support and resources to help everyone use it effectively. Take Adobe Express for Education, for example. We’ve loaded it with free lesson plans and resources for teachers, plus a learn tab with videos and guided activities for students to practice on their own. And when it comes to proving what they’ve learned, students can take Adobe Certified Professional exams — we’ve been offering these for 17 years and have issued over 1.8 million certifications.

It’s all about giving teachers the tools to teach effectively and students the means to show off their skills to colleges and employers. That’s what makes a creative tool truly valuable in education.

How does AI factor into creative education?

AI plays a significant role in enhancing this creativity. It can assist in brainstorming and rapid iteration, helping students quickly generate various ideas and alternatives. AI also helps students step back from routine tasks to see the bigger picture.

In this sense, traditional education has often taught students to swim in a controlled pool. With AI, we’re teaching them to surf in an ever-changing ocean. It’s not just about repetition and efficiency; it’s about adapting to shifting conditions and engaging in creative thinking. AI acts as a surfboard, enabling students to navigate change and thrive in an unpredictable world.

How is AI changing teaching and learning strategies?

Traditionally, education has focused on teaching students to perform specific tasks. However, as AI increasingly automates many of these tasks, our educational focus needs to shift. I believe the next focus should be on understanding context — knowing which tasks to perform, when to perform them and why.

As task execution becomes easier, grasping the broader context of these tasks will be increasingly valuable. Understanding context is a crucial human skill that is best taught through storytelling and real-world applications.

English language arts and history teachers have long excelled at teaching context by helping students understand the background and culture surrounding texts or historical events. This broader perspective, while not commonly emphasized outside these subjects, is becoming essential across all disciplines.

By mastering storytelling and contextual understanding, students can see the bigger picture in complex situations, understand how individual tasks contribute to larger goals, develop creative solutions to multifaceted problems and adapt more readily to changing circumstances in their future careers.