Skills

Skills vs College Degree in US – Some 36 million Americans have some college education, but no credential

Americans without a degree have the skills and knowledge to thrive in higher wage jobs. And jobs that don’t require college can offer a less expensive, shorter pathway to a good career, oftentimes with a higher starting salary. They are often “stackable,” allowing workers to layer new skills and credentials by weaving work with learning … Continue reading →

Post-COVID Skills Mismatch – It is the time to start preparing

The pandemic has transformed working modes. With the ILO estimating that 81% of the global labor force is engaged in a work-from-home experiment, flexible and remote arrangements are likely to become the new normal. In the wake of the crisis, some 75% of global businesses plan to shift at least 5% of employees who previously … Continue reading →

COVID and Work – Logging in to learn, an infographic

Skills – The future is social and emotional

The most in-demand skills for today’s and tomorrow’s labour market aren’t technical—they’re social and emotional. This report looks at how to make social and emotional skills training and development more effective and accessible for all. Document Highlights The changing nature of work is increasing the demand not only for technical skills but for social and … Continue reading →

Skills – How do people know about skills and qualifications?

The world is undergoing a major transformation that requires new skills and qualifications, new ways for people to know about skills and qualifications, and new ways to acquire skills and qualifications. This toolkit is about skills and qualifications, and the benefits they provide for people in a changing environment. How do people know about skills … Continue reading →

COVID and Skills – How should you rethink your talent strategy ?

How should you rethink your talent strategy so that you have the people you need when the recovery starts? CEOs will be faced with difficult people decisions. However, given the importance of talent in accelerating progress, it’s critical to adopt a through-cycle mindset on people—not just in keeping the right talent but also in building … Continue reading →

Data Literacy – Business leaders overestimate the capabilities of their workforce and their readiness to work with data

Data is a gold mine that can help the Intelligent Enterprise drive growth. Yet, while organizations continue to collect, store and analyze data, its real potential remains largely untapped. In fact, research from Forrester found that between 60 and 73 percent of all enterprise data is never analyzed. That said, it would be wrong to … Continue reading →

Career Expectations and Skills – One in two disadvantaged students who saw themselves working as professionals or managers did not expect to pursue any tertiary education

Adolescence is a period when young people start to prepare for adult life. Teenagers have to make important decisions relevant to their working lives later on, such as what field of study or type of education they will pursue. But young people often lack sufficient knowledge about the breadth of job opportunities and careers open … Continue reading →

Education and the Future of Work – 21st century skills in curricula

“Holistic development” is the watchword when setting educational goals for students. However, what this means in practice differs from country to country and culture to culture. The underlying sentiments, though, are similar: We all want to ensure that our young citizens are equipped to think critically and creatively, and to solve problems in an increasing … Continue reading →

Future of Work and Skills in Canada – Countries around the world are positioning themselves

The future of skills has become a subject of global debate. So far, most of the attention from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Economic Forum (WEF), major management consulting firms, think tanks and banks has fallen onto reports warning about occupations most at risk of automation, the number of jobs … Continue reading →

Jobs and Skills – Same job title can call for very different skills

A potential trap for educators in aligning curriculum development with the job market is that a job title, by itself, doesn’t tell the whole story. The same job title can call for very different skills depending on the locale. This is an international phenomenon. Burning Glass Technologies has documented this in the United States, but … Continue reading →

Skills and Education in Canada – Students find it challenging to translate their understanding of skill requirements into concrete choices about education, training and careers

When stepping into post-secondary education, students are at crossroads while they make important decisions and investments amid considerable uncertainty. While this may be the unavoidable norm, better career development and targeted labour market information (LMI) can support students in making informed career decisions and successful transitions by providing data and insights on educational and labour … Continue reading →

Global Skills Mismatch – Affects 1.3 billion people worldwide is imposing a 6% annual tax on the global economy

A skills mismatch that affects 1.3 billion people worldwide is imposing a 6% annual tax on the global economy in the form of lost labor productivity. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) explores this and other findings in its report titled Fixing the Global Skills Mismatch, which is being released today. According to the report, the skills … Continue reading →

Future of Work – The challenge is not that they create too few jobs, but rather that too few workers have the skills

The challenge that all new technologies pose is not that they create too few jobs, but rather that too few workers have the skills to fill them. Just as some jobs benefit from the new technologies, while others become obsolete, so, too, some skills become more valuable, while others are substitutable. The automobile boosted the … Continue reading →

Skills in US – Talent is America’s most precious resource

In his recent book, The Gift of Global Talent, Harvard economist William R. Kerr argues that talent is the world’s most precious resource. Across America’s network of regional economies, this is undoubtedly true. The collective knowledge and capabilities of the U.S. workforce is worth an estimated $240 trillion—four times more valuable than the country’s physical … Continue reading →