Abstract:

The importance of technologies in the future of the labour market is unequivocal, demanding more specialized competences from its future professionals. In face of digitalization, the labour market requires professionals with a digital dexterity who stands out, moreover which have a capability to learn quickly, have a predisposition for change and a genuine ambition to innovate. A multiprocessor professional profile which while reading and processing the information, creating a model in its mind and immediately starting to organize the information will be also highly valued. Namely, due the way it approaches problems from atypical angles, thrives on complexity and stands out when the situation is against itself.

The ability to attract talent will be an increasingly critical competitiveness factor in companies. Decisive, therefore, will be the greater supply of qualified staff with the speed required, which depends on the capacity of educational systems to train and place on the job market young people with the necessary profile and the right skills to meet future technological challenges.

The professional of the future is the one who is able to mix technical competences with transversal ones and is not rigidly tied to academic training or to the positions, he or she may occupy. In this context, work in the future contains a strong component of social transformation that will require a high level of adaptability, creativity and innovation to the workforce. Social and emotional competences (transversal skills) will also be highly valued and prioritized, such as leadership and emotional intelligence, characteristics difficult to be fully incorporated by technology.

Fostering and promoting teaching-learning practices in schools and universities seems to be very useful and effective to develop these skills in professionals in the future. To achieve these transversal skills, game-based learning has been used in recent years as a creative and innovative way to enrich the teaching and learning process. Through the Game based learning tools, it is possible to adapt the wishes and motivations of the generations that are currently in most higher education systems which present a greater inclination towards the challenge, for result-oriented activities that foster their creativity.

In this sense, through serious games in a short period of time, communication, adaptability and problem-solving skills can be improved in adults. Further studies report that the ability to manage emotions and performance under pressure, which are extremely important in the professional context can be developed through games. The growing demand for high growth professions has further boosted the value of distinctive competence sets that accompany these professionals and their potential for growth and prosperity in the new economy.

In this study we seek to analyse 21st century skills through a systematic literature overview of game-based learning studies. Transversal skills in line with technical digital skills are essential to promote the control of emotions, the ability to deal with ventures and mistakes, autonomy and the ability to innovate, only then with this set of skills will the professional be better prepared in the face of relationships and situations throughout their academic and professional career.

Keywords:

Gaming, competences, digital transformation, labour market.