CXO INSIGHT
that , then you start to get a lot more clarity on the skill pipeline and talent that you need .
From my perspective , organisations are effective when they start with what their business objectives are and then correlate well-defined and discrete skill-based outcomes enabling that . You have to get hyper-specific and say here are the job skills , the career domains that we ' re working towards and the skill-based learning paths that enable that . There are all kinds of resources out there to help companies do that . We currently participate in the World Economic Forum ’ s SkillsLink Alliance – there ' s an entire Global Skills Taxonomy that the World Economic Forum has established that has helped chart the paths to some of these future skills and future roles .
We have an entire system called Skillsoft Aspire , which are pre-curated learning paths that take people to these future skills in a highly disciplined and thoughtful way . That would be my advice to customers , start with a priority list ; be very clear on the skills your business needs and then develop learning paths for your employees . Most importantly , market the benefits of learning these skills to your workforce , so that they take ownership of their learning path .
What are some of the key skills that Skillsoft has identified but are lacking in the industry ?
We see trends in four distinct categories in technology : cloud skills , cybersecurity , data and software development . While most of the growth for job roles may be in technology , you ' d find that the most heavily demanded skills are not necessarily technical , but human soft skills . So , anything related to managing virtual teams ; managing distributed teams ; conflict management ; problem solving , innovation , communication and emotional intelligence . We have also seen an increased , demand for things like mindfulness and mental well-being , as well as psychological safety and DE & I training .
What do you think the future of the workforce will look like ?
I think we ’ re on the frontline of a very significant transformation , concerning the workforce and the skills that are needed to succeed . I predict in the next five years another 50 % of skills are going to be redefined . More traditionally frontline and nontechnical roles are going to become increasingly digitised and requiring more technology means having a broader frontline workforce that is becoming more digitally aware and digitally literate .
I also predict that the true skills and capabilities that help people advance in the next five to 10 years will be : how do people build effective relationships and how do they communicate effectively in a virtual environment ? People have never felt more disconnected or alone , which is very ironic – in a world where we ’ re connected 24 hours a day , there ’ s still a sense of people not feeling like they belong . Learning can bridge the gap here . x
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