Employability of Workers is Crucial Factor
Revised Article:
In the era of rapidly evolving technology, jobs and tasks are at risk of being displaced by robots, AI, and machine learning. That's the grim reality that the UN Global Union is grappling with, as highlighted by Philip Jennings, stressing the urgent need to ensure worker employability.
To combat potentially substantial job displacements, as predicted in the World Bank Development Report 2016, UNI Global Union emphasizes the importance of employability. This is achieved through up-skilling, re-skilling, lifelong learning, and adaptations to current vocational and education training—both at the vocational and higher education levels.
While technology-induced job displacement isn't a new phenomenon, the scale and pace of digital change will make the approaching wave of displacement significant and immediate. Consequently, proactive policies and strategies are essential to prepare workers for evolving roles.
Here's a comprehensive approach to adapt to technological change:
- Integrated Upskilling and Reskilling Initiatives: Organizations are incorporating upskilling and reskilling as core components of their HR and workforce strategies. This involves regular skills gap analyses, offering personalized learning paths, and conducting embedded skilling programs.
- Promoting Lifelong Learning and Continuous Development: Businesses are fostering learning environments that encourage continuous learning, providing access to online courses, microlearning modules, and employee training programs. Incentives such as career advancement, certifications, and recognition for learning achievements help motivate employees to engage in ongoing development.
- Adaptations to Vocational and Education Training (VET): Close collaboration between industry and educational providers ensures that curricula reflect current and future labor market needs. This includes integrating digital skills, data literacy, and interdisciplinary competencies into VET programs. Additionally, vocational education is increasingly offering modular, stackable credentials that allow workers to accumulate and transfer skills across different roles and industries.
- Anticipating and Planning for Technological Change: HR and business leaders are using data-driven models to forecast future skill requirements and plan for upskilling at scale. This ensures that workforce development aligns with both immediate and long-term business objectives.
In summary, the key to weathering the storm of technological change lies in fostering employability through proactive policies and strategies, such as upskilling, re-skilling, lifelong learning, and adaptations to current vocational and education training. By taking a collaborative, data-driven approach, we can help workers navigate the changing job landscape and ensure their long-term success.
- The integration of upskilling and reskilling initiatives into HR and workforce strategies can help workers adapt to technological changes, ensuring their continued employability and contributing to their personal growth and career development.
- Promoting lifelong learning and continuous development through online courses, microlearning modules, and employee training programs can empower workers to stay abreast of new technologies, thereby enhancing their skills and competencies for education-and-self-development.
- By collaborating with educational providers to integrate digital skills, data literacy, and interdisciplinary competencies into vocational and education training programs, we can align the workforce with the evolving needs of the labor market, ensuring a strong foundation for history's future job perspectives.
