This brief report describes the outcomes of a survey of 20,000 employers in 42 countries about: (1) the likely impact of automation on their headcount in the next two years; (2) which functions within their organization will be most affected; and (3) the human skills they value most and which they struggle to find. The research was conducted in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, UK and the US.

Technological advances are generating fears of a jobless future. At the same time, major economies are seeing historically low unemployment rates and wage growth is puzzlingly low. This report discusses how technology is changing the nature of work, not eliminating it. It explores the confluence of current technological advancements and whether machines are about to permanently replace humans in the workplace, while also digging deeper into two automation-related quandaries: the absence of wage inflation despite record low unemployment in major economies, and low labour productivity despite technological advancements.

This report is one of a series that explore a number of the most important issues currently impacting the skills ecosystem in Canada. As technology changes the nature of work, Canadian companies must create a culture of continuous learning to ensure employees have the skills they need. Many companies have already begun, investing in upskilling and reskilling programs to address the skills gap. In this report, the author provides an overview of how companies including AT&T, Scotiabank, TD Bank, Accenture and Walmart are retraining their workforces. Further, it considers the role of government investment, public-private partnerships, and corporate social responsibility in upskilling and reskilling.

This report describes the training, skills, challenges and needs required for Victoria's public transport rolling stock industry to renew and transform its workforce. It is part of an organisational analysis of the sector, and brings together the organisational and economic context for training with a particular focus on [small and medium enterprises] SMEs and their capability needs and apprenticeships. Key findings are as follows: Formal education, such as degrees and apprenticeships, are the foundation upon which skills are built. This review has indicated a need for more diverse skill sets associated with apprenticeships, and the need for additional modules in current training and tertiary education. Ongoing learning is now required for the sector to remain competitive in the face of rapidly evolving technologies and changing social norms. A multi-tiered, diversified approach to training is needed - one that bridges formal and informal training, ranging from short courses to full degrees. SMEs were found to have lower capability in some areas, with more resource and capital constraints than larger organisations. There is an urgent need to understand what specific training they need to build capability, what is likely to be most effective, and what mechanisms will best support these initiatives. The majority of training undertaken was reported as taking place in-house, revealing the need to build capability in the provision of this training - particularly between older and younger employees. Many of the critical training needs emerging are related to people-based soft skills, which are mainly optional in training packages. This indicates a gap in current training and a need to re-evaluate core competencies in training packages.

This report from a workshop funded by the National Science Foundation recommends how federal agencies can more effectively support STEM workforce needs. Business executives and CEOs, college and university presidents, professional associations, state leaders, and heads of federal agencies recognize that developing a STEM-capable workforce is critical for the nation. Innovation is occurring on a daily basis to create and understand the best methods to train, reskill, and educate our nation’s workforce, with stakeholders moving rapidly in the same direction. At this critical juncture, there is an even more important role for federal agencies to serve as amplifiers, investors, and leaders in propelling the development of our nation’s workforce now and in the future. As such, we call on leaders in the federal government along with business and academia to build the pathways, partnerships, and programs that will help us reach scale and meet the evolving needs of the future workforce in the digital economy.

Since its 2005 General Conference, UNESCO has supported the recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) of the outcomes of nonformal and informal learning for youth and adults and acknowledged the importance of RVA in the development of lifelong learning systems. Globally, the scale of need is enormous. There are significant challenges in integrating the recognition, validation and accreditation of the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning at the basic education level into existing RVA systems and in enabling young people and adults without basic education to complete such processes successfully. This report summarizes the research and policy dialogue of an international expert group invited by UNESCO to three meetings in 2016. It focuses on three themes - principles, policy and practice - and provides examples of how the issue is being approached across the world. It offers 12 conclusions, based on the evidence considered by the expert group, and proposes a number of key messages for stakeholders in Member States, including policy-makers and the research community.

This report responds to a request from the National Network of Business and Industry Associations. It highlights the key challenges facing the infrastructure workforce if the United States embarks on a major overhaul of its aging infrastructure. A wave of retirements and changing demand for skills means employers and training providers need to act to ensure there are enough workers, and especially managers, to meet the need. Challenges include: (1) changing demand for skills creating cross-cutting gaps: the changing nature of work creates gaps for key skills across a range of roles because the skills needed today differ from what the existing workforce possesses and what training providers currently offer; (2) misaligned occupational supply and demand: many rapidly growing occupations face supply shortages. There are just not enough new entrants to keep up with employer demand and; (3) occupation-specific skill gaps: in some roles, there may be enough workers to meet demand, but those workers do not have the specific technical skills employers need. The report concludes with possible avenues for future analysis of skill gaps at both an industry and regional level, and recommends the development of new career pathways to address undersupplied occupations or skills.

On 30 October 2019, the Australian Government announced $18.1 million towards the reform of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to support the fair, transparent and effective regulation of the VET sector and high-quality student outcomes. To inform the reform, mpconsulting was engaged by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment in late 2019 to conduct a rapid review of ASQA's internal regulatory practices and processes. The scope of this review was to: evaluate the effectiveness of ASQA's internal regulatory practices and processes (including ASQA's Regulatory Risk Framework, how it undertakes audits, how it makes and internally reviews regulatory decisions, and processes related to the review of ASQA decisions); identify and recommend any changes to ASQA's processes to support consistent, risk-based and contemporary regulatory decision-making and education; identify and recommend any changes required to ASQA's governance arrangements to clarify roles and responsibilities, improve accountability, improve efficiency of resources, and improve focus on strategic direction and performance; identify areas in which changes could be made to the VET Quality Framework to drive improvements across the sectors. The review found that while ASQA's overarching vision and purpose remain appropriate, some significant adjustments are needed to ASQA's regulatory approach as follows: promote and facilitate a culture of effective self-assurance as an integral part of a provider's routine operations; drive cooperative relationships between ASQA, providers and other stakeholders; consistently understand provider performance against standards and in the context of their operating environment; embed a variable-touch approach to regulation, guided by regulatory necessity, risk and proportionality; Communicate regulatory decisions and advice in a way that is clear, consistent and timely; coordinate and appropriately share information with other regulatory agencies, policy makers and funding bodies; and restructuring ASQA's governance. The review has identified opportunities to strengthen ASQA's internal regulatory practices and processes while acknowledging that the expectations of ASQA, in regulating such a large and diverse sector, are many and varied. The recommendations target short, medium and longer-term actions to better position ASQA as a respected and contemporary regulator.

This report offers advice on the challenges, obligations and opportunities facing business leaders. It also outlines recommendations that, taken together - as coordinated action between industry, governments, young people and other stakeholders - create a strong framework for advancing the cause. But it's more than a collection of ideas. This report represents a bold vision to convene business around a movement to prepare youth for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It’s a call to action to respond to critical challenges by committing to support and develop the workforce of tomorrow.