As businesses embrace artificial intelligence, a new challenge looms: preparing the AI-ready workforces necessary to leverage this new technology — before their competitors do.
It’s not going to be easy. In a fast-moving landscape, even the most tech-forward companies are scrambling to keep up — not to mention stumped on developing and deploying training for a technology that’s been accessible to the general public for just over a year.
For instance, 70% of business leaders currently don’t believe their teams have the skills to effectively and safely use generative AI. And 59% agree that their organization lacks the tech talent to meet their digital transformation goals.
What’s more, workers’ eagerness to build their AI skills far outstrips their skepticism. A survey by Adecco Group, our parent company, found that 62% of workers believe that AI will have a positive impact on their jobs — and that 67% of them expect their employers to help them learn how to use the technology.
In response to this imperative, we’re excited to announce the launch of our Generative AI solutions portfolio, aimed at empowering professionals of all levels and across industries with the foundational skills they need to stay ahead of the AI curve — and lead the way forward.
As an AI-optimistic organization, we’re excited to help businesses and workers develop their AI skill sets and guide them in making the most out of this technology.
Why AI is here to stay — and reskilling is the key to staying ahead
Recent boom-bust hype cycles around emerging technologies left many leaders skeptical of AI’s staying power and believing it would go the way that blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and Web3 did.
To their surprise, AI stuck. And it’s changing the way we work faster than anyone anticipated.
Three factors stand out in this success and staying power:
- Accessibility and exposure: Generative AI is easily available to most individuals for free or at a nominal cost through user-friendly platforms like Bard and ChatGPT.
- Support from big tech: Swift adoption from tech giants like Microsoft and Google—with Microsoft being a major player in enterprise software—has accelerated its integration into the workplace.
- High value proposition: AI’s reach and ubiquity, coupled with tangible and practical applications, have made its value clear to organizations across sectors.
All this has triggered an arms race, with employers rushing to develop AI-based capabilities and integrate the technology into their operations. According to a recent survey of business leaders by McKinsey, 40% of organizations plan to increase their investments in artificial intelligence after witnessing the recent advances in generative AI capabilities.
Still, success of these initiatives rests on securing skilled professionals capable of optimizing AI technology’s advantages. And organizations looking to strike AI talent gold in the job market are finding slim pickings instead.
Even more concerning is the significant number of companies falling into the old trap of prioritizing technology over people in their frantic bid to keep pace with AI developments. Many are currently making substantial investments in AI without first securing the skills their workforces need to leverage it into tangible outcomes. This shortsighted approach risks leaving employees behind, undermining workforces’ trust in AI, and squandering the technology’s transformative potential.
Given the dearth of AI-ready talent, reskilling has emerged as one of the most effective alternatives for organizations to cultivate skills that are not readily available in the labor market within their workforce. But many are facing a glaring challenge: developing and deploying reskilling programs for a technology that was in the realm of science fiction until just a few years ago and is hard — especially when you don’t have any internal expertise on the topic.
Build an AI-ready team with our new solutions
Our AI training solutions build basic AI competencies and empower workers at all levels to thrive in an AI-enabled world. Designed by industry leaders at the forefront of AI development and implementation, our workshops combine practical insights with hands-on experience to ensure students can confidently leverage generative AI technology to drive business outcomes.
Our AI training solutions include:
- AI for Leaders: A quick workshop to build decision-makers’ AI fluency. In just over two hours, it covers the essentials leaders need to make more informed decisions about AI and broaden their understanding of ethical, legal, and data privacy implications.
- Applied AI for Business Consultants: Get the basics to leverage AI into solutions for today’s most pressing business challenges. From applying large language model (LLM) applications to effective prompt writing and legal implications, this module offers consulting professionals a comprehensive introduction to the intersection of artificial intelligence and business.
- Applied Generative AI: Give tech and non-tech employees across your organization the skills to leverage AI in real-world business scenarios. This module introduces AI beginners to core principles for effective prompt writing while exploring ethical topics such as bias identification and mitigation.
- Applied AI Engineering: Designed for software engineers and data scientists, this workshop helps technical employees build their AI competencies and master techniques like prompt engineering and real-time code generation using Github Copilot. Students leave with the foundational elements for a capstone project where they can expand their hands-on AI experience.
The AI revolution is on its way — time to get on board
In a fast-changing tech landscape, scrambling to recruit from a shrinking pool of skilled talent is a clear losing strategy. The new world of work will favor organizations that can swiftly transform wish lists into well-grounded skills within their workforces.
While traditional talent acquisition methods have their place, investing in upskilling, reskilling, and tapping into nontraditional talent pools will be crucial for building a competitive AI-enabled workforce.
With over a decade of experience empowering organizations worldwide to transform their workforces, our team excels at developing and deploying reskilling programs designed to address your unique business challenges.
Contact us to learn how we can help close your organization’s skills gaps and build a future-proof workforce.