It's Learning. Just Not As We Know It

If skill-building doesn’t catch up with the rate of technological progress, the G20 economies could lose up to US$11.5 trillion in cumulative GDP growth in the next 10 years. This report by Accenture looks through the lens of the future worker, identifies their evolving skills demand and analyses the changing importance of skills to different roles and the impact of intelligent technologies.

Areas for business leaders to be examining:

1. Speed up Experiential Learning: Multiply the impact of your lifelong learning investments. Is your organisation experimenting with experiential learning techniques? Are your learning and recruitment systems ready to participate in apprenticeships or on-the job training initiatives? Are you applying design thinking or simulation tools to improve decision-making and learning? Have you identified partners that can apply new technologies to personalise training and create immersive learning experiences?
2. Shift Focus from Institutions to Individuals: Stimulate your people to expand their horizons. Has your organisation assessed the evolving blend of skillsets that your key workforce groups need to acquire? Can your learning systems and metrics adapt to develop a broader range of skills within individuals?
3. Empower Vulnerable Learners: Act responsibly to support your people. Has your organisation assessed which workers are most exposed to automation? Have you identified how their talents can be redeployed to new areas of value? Are your skill building systems set up to support older workers and the lower-educated with lifelong learning programmes suited to their particular capacities?