The workforce of the future requires an agile approach to learning
EVOLUTION Although the current working population is tech-savvy and comprises quick learners, they still require indepth training to develop new skill-sets and, thus, adapt to be prepared for the work culture of tomorrow
The future of work or the jobs of tomorrow is one of the most common topics of discussion among today’s crowd. The traditional working culture is rapidly reshaping with automation taking charge. No doubt, these innovations will enhance the key processes of a business, and thus deliver customer satisfaction; these advances also raise an interesting question: is our workforce geared up for that shift? Organisations, therefore, must go for an agile approach to learning, which is the need of the hour in today’s job scenario.
Although the current working population is tech-savvy and comprises quick learners, they still require in-depth training to develop new skill-sets and, thus, adapt to the evolving work culture. Today, when we hear innovations like AI, big data or analytics, we do not fear about job losses but instead feel proud to use them, mostly for entertainment purposes. What we are witnessing today, especially through our smartphones, are the smallest forms of innovations. The “big” is still lying around the corner.
We are not aware of how these advances will dominate the future jobs, and those who fail to adapt will see their own fall. However, instead of considering it a threat, companies should nurture the existing skills of their employees and help them become masters of using these technologies. That’s how companies can make the best use of groundbreaking technologies and help their employees deliver better results.
CHALLENGES
If we think a tad deeper, it will be much easier to understand the root cause of the problem. Yes, it originates from the good old education system, which unfortunately has become obsolete, and urgently needs an overhaul. The gap between t he i ndustry requirements and offerings made by academic institutions has further widened. While 43 per cent of businesses annually revise/ update their learning models, 71 per cent of Higher Education Institutions (HEIS) work at the speed of a snail. They update their curriculum in every two to six years. Also, inadequate preparation of students in the job area combined with insufficient industry-academia interactions has significantly added to the skill gap. These initiatives are crucial in the current scenario to help students in understanding f uture j obs, and t he skills required to excel.
INCREASING UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
A report by Accenture titled ‘Fuelling India’s Skill Revolution’ says that India,over the next decade, could have secured a $1.97 trillion worth of GDP growth by investing in intelligent technologies. But currently, 65-75% of the country’s youth entering the workforce are jobless due to the paucity of talent. This needs urgent attention. Both companies and educational institutions should go for predictive and agile approaches to identify skills and introduce curricula changes, respectively. They should understand that the current workforce needs to switch from “what to learn” to “how to learn”.
HARSH REALITY
A large number of IT professionals who signed up for higher studies or skill-augmentation courses were found to leave in the mid ofthese courses in between. And, when it comes to employees, many were put back on the same team, doing the same work, which they were already doing. If the skill upgrades are not utilised properly, how are we even expecting better results?
Besides, intelligent workforce strategies for upskilling existing employees fail if there is a largescale misalignment. Companies, in such case, should seriously identify the right fits that suit the evolving demands of the market.
AI AND JOBS
It’s a truism that AI will replace not only repetitive and low-end tasks but also some high-skilled white-collar jobs. There will be a time when such skills will also become irrelevant, and those who will fail to adopt these changes will turn jobless. However, in this replacement process, AI will also create newer jobs that will call for newer skills. Hence, companies should focus more on upskilling their existing employees through several training activities.
WHAT’S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE?
Many organisations are becoming successful in their endeavours as they are fearless in experimenting and taking newer measures to adopt innovations. With the utilisation of such advanced tools, they are changing their traditional methods of working and, thus, motivating employees to perform better in today’s fastmoving world.
It is crucial for businesses, educational institutions and governments to come together and develop a learning culture, where students, as well as employees, could feel curious to explore more and stay self-motivated to learn newer things in life. More importantly, companies will need “human-ness” as a crucial skill from employees. Other skills like self-motivation, resilience, empathy, flexibility, communication and creativity will play a critical role, too. All these factors will be considered important to work efficiently with the future intelligent systems and, hence, utilise their benefits.
To tackle the future uncertainty of jobs, the preparation should begin from school education itself, instead of being dependent on higher studies. The government should focus on helping students imbibe problem-solving skills, creativity and innovation through modifying the curricula and adding more interesting activities.
After passing senior secondary levels or class XII exams, as students enter colleges, the training modules should gradually advance with the introduction of workshops and academic interactions. This pragmatic approach will enrich students with practical insights into the industry and help them in deeply understanding the nature of real-time jobs.
THE WAY FORWARD
Automation and robots are the future, but humans need to stay beyond them in every aspect. They should perform things that robots cannot. After all, they are human creations and, thus, always require human control. The skills of today should modify, and candidates should be trained from the very core of school education. That’s how we can replace the skill mismatch with relevant skills. The future jobs will be more about exploring passion from the very beginning of childhood, and not only schools but parents will also have a vital role in this developmental journey.