DUBAI, A report released by the World Government Summit Organization identifies how today’s employers fail to get the desired skills from employees due, in part, to the rapid rise in the use of technology and automation in the industry. The report highlights that the skills gap leads to inefficiencies in the current market, a problem that can be solved through the collaborative efforts of the government, businesses, and educational institutions.
The report, launched in partnership with leading advisory firm PwC Middle East – appraises the current employment market and identifies shortcomings that hinder businesses and institutions from achieving their utmost performance. It is informed by the undeniable reality that the business environment is subject to change, and technology has been one of the major transformations impacting business operations in both the 20th and 21st centuries.
The ‘Future of Work and Education: how governments can create a more systematic and rigorous approach to skills training’ report acknowledges that it is necessary to create a Skills Development System (SDS) that focuses on imparting desired competencies for the evolving business environment. Furthermore, it is vital that governments, schools, and businesses should collaborate to achieve this goal. These stakeholders play unique roles in the sector and their independent contributions are necessary for creating a reliable and dependable system, and subsequent learning pathways.
The report explores how transformation in the skills market, including the rise of automation and digitization, is creating a major societal problem in the mismatch between people and the right skills for available jobs. It presents an approach to addressing this problem that ensures upskilling is more cost effective and auditable.
Mohamed Yousef Al Sharhan, Deputy Managing Director of the World Government Summit Organization, stated that the Summit is keen to strengthen knowledge-based partnerships with renowned institutions, exploring new trends that consolidates the Organization’s status as a knowledge platform shaping the next generation of governments and building sustainable societies.
He highlighted that the dynamics of the future of work are changing rapidly and that governments, corporations and organizations need to prioritize adapting new ways of addressing new forms of work and productivity.
Sally Jeffery, Global Education and Skills Network Leader at PwC, said: “ Governments have an opportunity to take the necessary policy steps to encourage a more systematic approach to upskilling that re-energizes their national qualifications activities, as well as creating a more future-proofed skills market and resilient labor economy. Providing more assurance that training programs deliver people with the necessary skills is critical for economic prosperity. Our education and training institutions don’t have the time or resources to keep up. There are many lessons to be learned from how those in some of the most trusted roles in society are trained and also how they keep their skills up to date. When adopting the right model and methodologies, upskilling is a cost effective and auditable process that will ensure employers, educators and learners have the optimal skills at their fingertips that are fit for purpose today, and well into the future.”
The report further recommends four strategic priorities for governments to consider to address the current and future human capital challenges in their labor markets. Firstly, Governments must identify and prioritize the skills gaps to close based on their national priorities, and, secondly, navigate a fragmented and fast changing educational delivery landscape driven by evolving skills and emerging educational technology solutions. Thirdly, they need to regulate with agility based on sector-specific needs, applying the right level of governance at the right level of delivery. Finally, Governments need to design and manage a responsive and fit for purpose national qualifications framework that is aligned with their country’s demographic profile.
The paper also calls for commitment from all stakeholders on three initiatives to drive a positive impact on national skills markets and build economic resilience. Firstly, stakeholders should engage in developing a network of regional qualification frameworks that are interconnected and share qualification content and revisions to keep up with skills demands. Secondly, they should adopt a systematic approach to training design and assurance, particularly in vocational and professional education and training. Thirdly, stakeholders must continuously share an evidence-based understanding of the pros and cons of existing and emerging educational technologies in supporting learning outcomes.
WGS2023 will bring together a group of government leaders, ministers, senior officials, decision-makers and specialists in financial, economic and social affairs from around the world to exchange experiences, knowledge and ideas that contribute to promoting development and prosperity around the world
To view the ‘Future of Work and Education’ report, please visit the following link: https://www.worldgovernmentsummit.org/observer/reports/2022/detail/future-of-work-and-education
Source: Emirates News Agency
