We’re Still Educating Kids for Factories in a 5G World

At the 14th World Chambers Congress in Melbourne, Jan Lambrechts, Founder and CTO of Epitome Global, issued a challenge that struck a chord with leaders and policymakers alike:

“We are pushing our kids through an education system that hasn’t changed for 80 years.
We’re preparing them to work in a factory, not to be independent, lifelong thinkers.”

For all the progress in technology, our approach to education remains rooted in the past.
A system designed to produce compliance and repetition is still the blueprint used to develop the innovators of tomorrow.

We live in an era defined by instant connectivity, generative AI, and self-directed learning. Yet curriculums in many parts of the world continue to prioritise memorisation over creativity, and standardisation over individuality.

As Jan explained during his address,

“We have hungry nations, fourth-world countries with access to 5G. They’re going to springboard so fast, they’re going to lead innovation.”

These emerging markets are no longer catching up, they’re setting the pace. With young, ambitious populations and unprecedented digital access, they are reimagining how knowledge is created, shared, and applied.

In many of these countries, education isn’t confined to a classroom or limited by tradition. It happens through mobile devices, community collaboration, and a collective desire to solve real problems. The absence of outdated infrastructure isn’t a disadvantage, it’s freedom to reinvent.

At the heart of Jan’s message was a simple truth: not everyone needs to be an engineer.
What the future demands are independent thinkers, people capable of learning, unlearning, and relearning. Those who can adapt faster than technology evolves.

The nations once labelled “developing” may soon lead the world not only in innovation, but in how innovation is taught. The education revolution won’t begin in the West. It will begin where agility, ambition and access collide.

Watch Jan Lambrechts’ from the 14th World Chambers Congress in Melbourne, a call to redefine how we prepare future generations for a world that won’t wait.

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