The concept of 21st Century Skills does not have a single creator but has evolved through collaboration among researchers, education experts, and organizations worldwide. It is a framework that has emerged to define the skills needed in a rapidly changing and globalized world. Some key contributors to this important development work include the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), founded in the U.S. in 2002 by a group of educational institutions, governments, and companies such as Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco. Another important contributor is the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), which has supported development through its “Future of Education and Skills 2030” project. UNESCO, the UN’s education agency, has also contributed by describing skills for sustainable development, global citizenship, and intercultural understanding.

The Swedish curriculum (Lgr22 for compulsory schools and Lgy11 for upper secondary schools, including later revisions) is heavily influenced by the concept of “21st Century Skills.” These skills aim to prepare students for a rapidly changing society characterized by digitalization, globalization, and complex societal challenges.

At RWS, we work purposefully based on these fundamental principles for all education, from preschool to grade 9, in our Swedish schools. We also apply the same principles in our first school abroad in Palma, Spain, and plan to do so in any future Raoul Wallenberg Schools established in other countries. In this way, we will be able to integrate the teaching in Swedish schools with our future schools in other countries, benefiting both students and educators.

We have a clear structure in our education that focuses on developing children’s and students’ knowledge, social and other abilities, and character traits. The illustration on this page clearly depicts this structure. Elsewhere, we describe the content of the three different parts of education. In daily teaching, we interweave students’ knowledge development with the development of various abilities and character traits. Through well-thought-out and skillfully executed pedagogy, these three educational areas support one another.