Several tech giants and workforce ecosystem firms formed a collaborative to find out how AI is changing jobs and what skills workers will need to be successful. It plans to provide recommendations for employers seeking ways to upskill workers in preparation for AI. Firms taking part include Accenture, Cisco, Eightfold, Google, IBM, Indeed, Intel, Microsoft and SAP.
“AI is accelerating the pace of change for the global workforce, presenting a powerful opportunity for the private sector to help upskill and reskill workers for the future,” Francine Katsoudas, executive VP and chief people, policy and purpose officer at Cisco, said in a press release.
Plans call for the consortium to leverage its members and advisors to recommend reskilling and upskilling training programs that can help students, career changers, current IT workers, employers and educators.
In its first phase of work, the consortium will evaluate the impact of AI on 56 information and communication technology jobs and provide recommendations for impacted jobs. These roles include 80% of the top 45 ICT jobs titles garnering the highest volume of job postings in the year ended February 2024 in the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, according to Indeed.
The consortium was inspired by the US-EU Trade and Technology Council’s Talent for Growth Task Force, established in June 2021 by US President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
“Indeed’s mission is to help people get jobs,” said Hannah Calhoon, head of AI innovation at Indeed. “Our research shows that virtually every job posted on Indeed today, from truck driver to physician to software engineer, will face some level of exposure to GenAI-driven change. We look forward to contributing to the Workforce Consortium’s important work.”
Consortium member’s individual goals include:
- Cisco to train 25 million people with cybersecurity and digital skills by 2032.
- IBM to skill 30 million individuals by 2030 in digital skills, including 2 million in AI.
- Intel to empower more than 30 million people with AI skills for current and future jobs by 2030.
- Microsoft to train and certify 10 million people from underserved communities with in-demand digital skills for jobs and livelihood opportunities in the digital economy by 2025.
- SAP to upskill 2 million people worldwide by 2025.
- Google has recently announced EUR 25 million in funding to support AI training and skills for people across Europe.
“At Intel, our purpose is to create world-changing technology that improves the lives of every person on the planet, and we believe bringing AI everywhere is key for businesses and society to flourish,” Christy Pambianchi, executive VP and chief people officer at Intel, said in a press release. “To do so, we must provide access to AI skills for everyone.”
Joining the consortium as advisors are the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, Chain5, Communication Workers of America, DigitalEurope, the European Vocational Training Association, Khan Academy and SMEUnited.