…or: future skills and lifelong learning in the digital revolution
In this age of artificial intelligence, ongoing digitalization and demographic change, there is an indisputable need to modernize human resource development and continuing professional development. In addition to traditional, digital and technological skills, the future skill set will also include “transformative skills”. So what exactly will we learn in and for the future? Steinbeis expert Dr. Thomas Ehrl of the Steinbeis Consulting Center FUTURE OF WORK examined this question for TRANSFER.
Overview and examples of future skills
The world of work is undergoing a profound transformation distinguished by technological innovation, social and demographic change, and in particular by the increasingly widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI). These trends require enterprises and their employees to be highly adaptable and willing to innovate.
As well as promoting traditional and digital skills, human resource development and continuing professional development must therefore also incorporate “transformative skills” – the future skills that form the basis of future employability.
The key future skills
The term “future skills” encompasses a broad range of skills and knowledge that go beyond traditional technical skills and will become increasingly important across all industries in years to come. There are three factors in particular that make it necessary to develop these skills:
- Technological advances, especially digitalization and automation, are fundamentally transforming work processes, calling for new skills, for example in relation to working with data, networks, software and AI applications.
- As global interconnectedness increases, international cooperation is becoming more important than ever. Intercultural skills and the ability to operate effectively in diverse teams are absolutely essential in the modern workplace.
- The challenge that demographic change poses for businesses is to continuously upskill their employees so they can keep up with rapidly changing technologies.
Furthermore, the sustainable processes and strategies that companies are increasingly being asked to implement also call for specific skills in the field of environmental and social responsibility.
There are four main types of future skill:
- Technological skills: These relate to the understanding, application and safe and secure use of modern technologies, digital systems and tools. In many occupations, technological skills are indispensable for efficient, modern working.
- Key digital skills: The ability to understand and use digital technology, from basic IT literacy to specialist skills like data analytics and the use of AI or social media tools.
- Traditional skills: These basic skills and traits are key to professional and personal success, regardless of the specific technology or industry. They include social, communication and methodological skills. The ability to perceive, understand and constructively influence your own and others’ emotions is vital for both collaboration and management in physical and virtual teams alike.
- Transformative skills These skills enable people to adapt flexibly to change, be creative innovators and actively help to shape the future. In an ever-changing world, we need to be adaptable, agile and flexible in the way we think and act and to use agile methods like scrum and kanban. Continuing professional development is now a prerequisite for employability, while an understanding of the environmental and social dimensions is also increasingly regarded as a key skill.
Challenges and opportunities of skills development with AI
AI will fundamentally transform the world of work. Routine tasks and administrative work are increasingly being automated, freeing up resources for creative, strategic and interpersonal functions. At the same time, new occupations are emerging in areas like big data, data security and AI project management. The main ramification of this trend is a fundamental transformation of skill requirements. Together with digital skills, soft skills like critical thinking, willingness to change and collaborative working are becoming more and more important. A commitment to lifelong learning and the ability to adapt rapidly and work confidently with information and media are becoming key to survival in a rapidly changing workplace.
Shaping the transformation through HR development
Future skills are the key to meeting the challenges of a changing workplace. They are much wider than traditional technical skills, combining technological, social, creative and sustainability dimensions.
The HR development function must drive and shape this transformation by implementing innovative learning methods, establishing a culture of continuous learning and empowering employees to actively seize the opportunities of the future. This is vital if companies are to ensure their long-term competitiveness in a digital world dominated by AI.
“The aim is to ensure companies’ long-term competitiveness”
An interview with Dr. Thomas Ehrl, Steinbeis Entrepreneur at the Steinbeis Consulting Center FUTURE OF WORK
Dr. Ehrl, your Steinbeis Enterprise is called “FUTURE OF WORK”. Which trends do you think will shape the way we work in years to come?
The future workplace will largely be characterized by ongoing digitalization, technological innovations like the more widespread use of AI, societal changes and the skills shortage. AI will automate or radically alter the nature of many administrative tasks, while flexible working arrangements like hybrid working and flexible working hours will become the norm. This will lead to a greater emphasis on skills. HR development will focus on demonstrable skills and continuous upskilling rather than formal qualifications. Managers are increasingly playing a mentoring and coaching role, while teams are self-organizing and taking responsibility upon themselves in flat hierarchies. Values such as a sense of purpose, environmental and social responsibility, diversity and inclusion are becoming an integral part of companies’ strategies.
AI is often associated with fear and uncertainty. Do you think these concerns are legitimate? And how will AI change the workplace as we currently know it?
Artificial intelligence will fundamentally transform the world of work by carrying out routine tasks and administrative work more efficiently and minimizing error sources. At the same time, new occupations are emerging in areas like big data, data security and AI project management. But the main change concerns skill requirements. Together with digital skills, soft skills like critical thinking, willingness to change and collaborative working are gaining in importance. Lifelong learning is becoming key to survival in a dynamic workplace. As well as posing challenges, the changes that AI is bringing also present opportunities to focus on creative and strategic work and add value for society.
What is the role of HR development in this transformation process?
HR development has a key role to play in ensuring that technological change is people-centric, sustainable and forward-thinking. The HR development function is responsible for developing and promoting the skills that people will need in a workplace where AI is ubiquitous, and for helping to establish a culture of continuous learning. Its role also includes supporting cultural change, acting as a strategic partner of senior management, championing empowerment and promoting resilience. The aim is to ensure companies’ long-term competitiveness through data-driven human resource planning and targeted skills gap analysis.
Resilience is becoming more and more important. Why do you think this is, and how can this skill be nurtured in a business?
Companies are attaching more importance to resilience as a direct response to the growing complexity, uncertainty and constantly changing nature of the workplace. Resilience enables the workforce to constructively deal with change, pressure and crises. Enterprises should promote resilience on four levels: through personal training and coaching, through management’s example, which should embody a resilient corporate culture, through organizational measures such as flexible working arrangements and social networks, and by strategically embedding and measuring resilience in the company’s operations.
Continuing professional development is an important part of HR development, but it too is facing new challenges. How are learning processes changing, and how can HR development respond in order to keep contributing to the success of the business?
Learning processes are becoming increasingly dynamic, personalized, connected and technology-enabled. The challenge is to assimilate these changes culturally as well as technically, so that people come to regard learning as an integral part of their work. New learning strategies are focusing on anticipating future skill requirements, tailoring the learning experience to the individual’s needs, integrating learning into people’s daily work, building a supportive management culture, ensuring that HR development initiatives are measurable and effective, promoting diversity and inclusion, and digitalizing the HR development function itself. The aim is to ensure companies’ long-term competitiveness and prepare employees as well as possible for dealing with the challenges that the future will bring.
Dr. Thomas Ehrl is a certified INQA coach who provides digitalization project support for SMEs. The German acronym INQA stands for New Quality of Work Initiative. INQA coaches help SMEs to retain skilled professionals by supporting the development of a sustainable corporate culture. INQA coaching is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs that provides funding to help SMEs on this journey. More information is available at www.inqa.de
Contact
Dr. Thomas Ehrl (author, interviewee)
Steinbeis Entrepreneur
Steinbeis Consulting Center FUTURE OF WORK (Recklinghausen)