Inspiring the Next Generation: Why 21st Century Skills and STEM Engagement Matter

By Bettina Dahl Søndergaard, UNESCO Center for Problem-Based Learning in Engineering and Science, Aalborg University & University of Bergen

Why 21st Century Skills Are a Global Priority

What should students learn today to thrive in tomorrow’s world? This question is at the heart of global education debates. While definitions of 21st Century Skills vary, they consistently emphasize more than academic knowledge. Students must learn to think critically, solve complex problems, collaborate effectively, and adapt creatively to new challenges.

The World Economic Forum, for instance, highlights key areas such as literacy, numeracy, scientific literacy, critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and curiosity. These are not optional extras. They are essential skills for young people navigating modern societies and workplaces.

At Aalborg University, our approach to engineering and science education emphasizes problem- and project-based learning. This ensures that students are not only mastering subject matter but also developing the resilience, flexibility, and teamwork skills that employers and communities increasingly value.

Education and Democracy: The European Vision

Across Europe, policymakers also stress these priorities. The European Union explicitly calls for stronger connections between science, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

In Denmark, the purposes of compulsory schooling are even written into law: schools must not only transmit knowledge but also cultivate imagination, curiosity, and responsibility. Pupils are prepared to participate actively in society—learning both their rights and their duties as citizens in a democratic community.

This vision goes hand-in-hand with the broader push for 21st Century Skills. Schools are asked to nurture not just academic competence but also civic engagement, creativity, and lifelong learning.

The Challenge: Declining Interest in STEM

Yet, there is a troubling trend worldwide: students’ interest in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—drops dramatically in the early adolescent years (grades 6–8, or before age 14).

Research confirms that motivation and confidence, especially in mathematics, decline sharply during these years. Girls, in particular, report lower self-confidence in mathematics and science. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified these issues, but the decline started well before.

Falling achievement and waning enthusiasm for STEM represent more than test-score concerns. They threaten the development of a workforce capable of tackling global challenges in energy, health, climate, and technology.

We cannot wait until university to spark interest in STEM—we must start much earlier, with engaging, hands-on opportunities in and outside traditional classrooms.

Extended Learning Opportunities: What Works

Extended learning—whether through competitions, exploratory projects, outreach programs, or summer initiatives—offers promising pathways. While outcomes can be difficult to measure, many studies suggest that these experiences strengthen social skills, foster teamwork, and re-ignite excitement for learning.

One initiative we ran at Aalborg University, in partnership with the local vocational and technical school, the municipality, and the local teaching training college (UCN), was Universitarium: a summer “experimentarium” for students in grades 3–10. Through exhibitions and hands-on experiments, young people explored topics like energy production, storage, and sustainability. Lego—an iconic Danish innovation—was often part of the problem-solving experience. Students left with a clearer sense of how science, engineering, and business connect in real life.

Making Math Come Alive

Mathematics is often seen as abstract—an invisible world of concepts and structures that can be difficult to grasp. And yet, mathematics is embedded in everything we do. It shapes how we measure, predict, model, and understand the world.

Sometimes, the key is to make mathematics tangible. In Norway, when I worked as an advisor at the Norwegian Centre for Mathematics Education, we once created a “Mathematics Circus” on the streets of the city centre of Trondheim. One activity involved a sack race, but instead of winning by being the fastest, the goal was estimation: How many jumps will it take you to cross the finish line in 60 seconds? Children had to connect numbers with movement, rhythm, and time. Suddenly, mathematics was not only logical but embodied—it was something they could feel in their own bodies.

This is just one playful example, but it illustrates a deeper truth: math can and should be experienced in the real world. The importance of embodied cognition in mathematics. Through modeling, students can use math to describe, analyze, and predict phenomena—whether in science, engineering, or daily life. When math is taught this way, it becomes less about memorization and more about discovery.

Entrepreneurship as a Pathway to Creativity

Another exciting approach comes through national competitions focused on entrepreneurship. One example is “Project Edison” run by the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship which since 2006 has been a national inventor competition for students in grades 6 and 7. Importantly, entrepreneurship here is not defined narrowly as business, but broadly as initiative, creativity, and problem-solving.

For instance in 2018, more than 11,000 Danish students aged 12–14 participated in an entrepreneurship challenge. Teachers received training to guide their pupils through months of small projects, culminating in presentations before referees and peers.

One team, concerned about microplastics in food chains, invented a prototype kitchen sink filter made from linen and natural rubber to trap microplastics. The project exemplified action, collaboration, and creativity—all while addressing an urgent environmental issue.

Through such projects, students learn to research, design, test ideas, and present their innovations. They also practice resilience—embracing mistakes as part of the learning process.

The Hard Question: Do These Initiatives Really Work?

As inspiring as these initiatives are, we need to be realistic. It is tempting to believe that a single competition or summer camp can change the world—or transform every child into a STEM enthusiast. But education doesn’t usually work that way.

Take the Edison Competition, for example. Together with colleague, we conducted an evaluation by interviewing students two months after the event—not immediately, when excitement might cloud their responses. The results were telling. Students who enjoyed the event still remembered it positively, but those who disliked it (or preferred traditional school routines) rarely volunteered to be interviewed.

This highlights a challenge: evaluations often capture the voices of those who were enthusiastic, while overlooking those for whom the program did not resonate. We must be honest: these activities do not work equally well for all students. Some thrive in hands-on, creative contexts; others prefer structure and predictability.

For STEM engagement to succeed, we must learn who benefits most, who does not, and why. That means building better evaluation tools, gathering the full picture, and being willing to adjust our approaches.

AI as a Creative Partner

In recent years, artificial intelligence has emerged as another player in education and creativity. Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for human thought, we might begin to see it as a partner. Tools like AI copilots can provide quick suggestions, alternative perspectives, or even spark ideas that humans might not generate on their own.

Of course, it takes practice to use AI well. At first, the results may not always seem helpful or creative. But as educators and students learn how to ask better questions and refine their use of these tools, AI can become a valuable companion in problem-solving and innovation.

Imagine students exploring global challenges—climate change, food security, or sustainable energy. AI could provide a set of starting ideas, stimulate new ways of thinking, and push learners to reflect, critique, and build on those suggestions. In this way, AI could serve not as an answer machine, but as a catalyst for creativity and critical thinking.

The challenge will be to integrate AI thoughtfully: not as a shortcut, but as an aid in the process of exploration and discovery.

Moving Forward: A Call to Action

If we want students to thrive as creative, capable problem-solvers, we must rethink education beyond the classroom.

Schools must integrate 21st Century Skills into teaching and learning, preparing students for both work and citizenship.
STEM must be made engaging early, before interest fades in middle school years.
Math must be embodied and real, showing how abstract ideas connect to everyday life.
Extended learning opportunities—from experimentariums to competitions—should be scaled up and supported by policy and practice.
Evaluation must be rigorous and inclusive, capturing the full range of student experiences—not just the success stories.
AI must be explored as a partner, helping learners and teachers generate new ideas, test possibilities, and expand creative horizons.

The task is urgent, but also inspiring. By combining knowledge with creativity, responsibility, and imagination, we can equip the next generation to not only face the future—but to shape it.