Future job prospects predicted - graduate jobs

Government-commissioned research has predicted unusual job opportunities including space pilots, body part makers and flying car creators within next two decades.

Population growth and climate change, as well as innovations in science and technology, will generate different career prospects in the future, the study conducted by Fast Future suggested.

As a result of the digital revolution, there will be demand for virtual lawyers, virtual clutter organisers and waste data handlers, it said.

The researchers also said that breakthroughs in space travel will lead to jobs such as space pilots, space architects and space tour guides.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "A priority for this Government is to prepare Britain for the economy of the future and to make sure our young people can seize the opportunities that innovations in science and technology will bring."

Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson said: "These jobs are no longer the stuff of dreams. Today's schoolchildren could become our first generation of scientists to build a flying car or help reverse climate change."

Stating that we are crossing the line between fiction and reality, Rohit Talwar, chief executive of Fast Future, added: "Although these [jobs] are made possible by science they won't necessarily require a high level of scientific expertise in themselves."