11 February 2010
A report commissioned by the Government as part of a campaign to promote science has been criticised for its "cut-and-paste" text and use of Wikipedia as a reference source.
The Shape of Jobs to Come was commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as part of its "Science: So what? So everything" campaign.
It looks at careers that could emerge from advances in science and technology over the next 20 years, from "body-part maker" to "weather modification police".
The report, published last month, was promoted by many including Lord Drayson, the Science Minister, and Gordon Brown.
But an academic is taking to task both BIS and the consultancy that produced the study, Fast Future, claiming that the report is substandard and could mislead people.
Jonathan Mendel, a lecturer in human geography at the University of Dundee, said the report used "unjustified methodologies" to reach its conclusions and was "overly reliant" on weak online sources and media reports, with some sections referencing only Wikipedia.
Although sources are referenced, he said the report lifted "significant passages of text" word for word.
Dr Mendel also questioned the Government's use of "weak research" to promote a rosy view of future jobs in science when funding was being cut. He said he had challenged BIS officials about the report but they had insisted it was "rigorous and credible for their purposes".
"Given BIS' role in universities and research, this raises worrying questions about some of the ways in which BIS understands, communicates and uses research," he said.
A BIS spokeswoman said the report was a "speculative look" into the future intended to spark public interest in science and did not inform policy or affect funding decisions.
Rohit Talwar, founder of Fast Future and co-author of the report, said a wide variety of people had been asked about possible future jobs, and maintained that citing websites, news reports and blogs was "accepted best practice in horizon scanning".
zoe.corbyn@tsleducation.com
NOW BELOW YOU'LL FIND THE REPORT......
The shape of jobs to come: Possible New Careers Emerging from Advances in Science and Technology (2010 – 2030)
Read the full “The shape of Jobs to come” report (2.38MB /
PDF), see the press release ( PDF) or look through the 20 featured jobs ( PDF).The top 20 dream jobs of the future
What do you think you, your children or perhaps your grandchildren will be doing in 20 years time? If you are worried you (or they) may be stuck in a dead end office job with few prospects and little excitement, think again.
Fast Future, which makes a living from predicting what might be about to happen, has come up with 20 new careers that it expects to emerge over the next two decades. Read on to find out what your next career move might be.
1. Body part maker
Advances in science will make it possible to create living body parts, so we could need living body part makers, body part stores and body part repair shops.
2. Nano-medic
Advances in nanotechnology for creating sub-atomic devices and treatments could transform personal healthcare so we would need a new breed of nano medicine specialists to administer these treatments.
3. Pharmer of genetically engineered crops and livestock
New-age farmers will grow crops and keep animals that have been genetically engineered to increase the amount of food they produce and to include proteins that are good for our health. Scientists are already working on a vaccine-carrying tomato and therapeutic milk from cows, sheep and goats.
4. Old age wellness manager/consultant
We will need specialists to help manage the health and personal needs of an aging population. They will be able to use a range of new emerging medical, drug, prosthetic, mental health, natural and fitness treatments.
5. Memory augmentation surgeon
Surgeons could add extra memory to people who want to increase their memory and to help those who have been over-exposed to information and need more memory to store it.
6. ‘New science’ ethicist
As scientific advances speed up in areas like cloning, we may need a new breed of ethicist who understands the science and helps society make choices about what developments to allow. It won’t be a question of can we, but should we?
7. Space pilots, tour guides and architects
With companies already promising space tourism, we may need space pilots and tour guides, as well as architects to design where they will live and work. Current projects at SICSA (University of Houston
8. Vertical farmers
Vertical farms growing in skyscrapers in the middle or our cities could dramatically increase food supply by 2020. Vertical farmers will need skills in a range of scientific disciplines, engineering and commerce.
9. Climate change reversal specialist
As the impact of climate change increases, we will need a new breed of engineer-scientists to help reduce or reverse the effects. The range of science and technologies they use could include filling the oceans with iron filings and putting up giant umbrellas to deflect the sun's rays.
10. Quarantine enforcer
If a deadly virus starts spreading rapidly, few countries, and few people, will be prepared. Nurses will be in short supply. And as death rates rise, and neighborhoods are shut down, someone will have to guard the gates.
11. Weather modification police
The act of stealing clouds to create rain is already happening in some parts of the world and is altering weather patterns thousands of miles away. Weather modification police would need to control and monitor who is allowed to shoot rockets containing silver iodine into the air - a way to provoke rainfall from passing clouds.
12. Virtual lawyer
As more and more of our daily life goes online, we will need specialist lawyers to resolve legal disputes which could involve people living in countries and regions with different laws.
13. Avatar manager/devotees/virtual teachers
Intelligent avatars or computer characters could be used to support or even replace teachers in the classroom. The devotee is the human that makes sure the avatar and the student are properly matched.
14. Alternative vehicle developers
We need the designers and builders of the next generations of vehicle transport using alternative materials and fuels. Could the dream of zero-emission cars or even underwater and flying cars become a reality within the next two decades?
15. Narrowcasters
As content on the television, radio and the internet becomes increasingly personalised, there will be jobs for specialists working with producers and advertisers to create news, entertainment and information tailored to our personal interests. While some personalisation will be done by computers, customised narrowcasting to individuals could be performed by humans.
16. Waste data handler
As data and information about us increases on computers everywhere, we may need waste data handlers to securely get rid of our data so we can’t be tracked or have our identity stolen.
17. Virtual clutter organiser
Clutter managers will help us organise our electronic lives. They would look after our email, make sure our data is stored properly and manage our electronic passwords and profiles.
18. Time broker/Time bank trader
Time has always been precious and time banking already exists. In the future there may be other alternative currencies that will have their own markets where they can be traded.
19. Social 'networking' worker
We may need social workers for people who may be traumatised or marginalised by social networking.
20. Personal branders
This job would be an extension of the role played by celebrity stylists and publicists. Personal branders will work for anyone to create a personal "brand" using social networking sites and other media. The sort of issues they would be dealing with will be what personality are you projecting via your Blog, Twitter, etc? What personal values do you want to build into your image? And is your image consistent with your real life personality and your goals?
No comments:
Post a Comment