James A. Robb.

Retired Rear Adm. James A. Robb ended his 34-year military career as director of the Navy's fleet readiness division. He also commanded the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group. As a Navy aviator, he logged 4,800 hours in 15 different tactical aircraft. He is president and CEO of NDIA affiliate, the National Training and Simulation Association.

While science fiction movies may be the best crystal ball for 100 years out, I believe there are key trends and technologies that will shape the way we educate and train the next generations. However, regardless of the advancements we make in training methods, the principal question remains, "trained to do what?" If we fail to anticipate the skills and attributes of the next-generation economy, we will continue to educate and train people for jobs that will no longer exist.

Look back at the 20th century and think about how many jobs have been created and subsequently eliminated. Whole groups of workers have been replaced by their digital twins. Facebook did not exist 25 years ago, so it is reasonable to postulate that there will be at least four generations of change to the workforce in the next century. The days of going to school to learn a trade that will last a lifetime are gone. The next-generation workforce will have to forage for work through an ever-changing skill-set landscape. Welcome to the world of lifelong learning.

The meteoric rise of companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook demonstrates how much the digital world is transforming the marketplace and, in turn, the workforce. The power of big data, artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art algorithms riding on next-generation networks will be huge drivers for the 21st century workplace. Which job will exist in 100 years--airline pilot or data scientist?

Another significant trend is our relationship with machines. In the 20th century we moved from pilot to autopilot. In the next 100 years, we will go from autopilot to no pilot. Autonomous entities of every sort will provide services, convenience, sustenance and increased safety in our daily lives. Smart machines make us more productive in the workplace and have become integral to our personal lives. Personal digital assistants will revolutionize education and training by allowing students to educate and train themselves anywhere, any time and at their own pace.

There are two trends within the training continuum that will likely shape the...