As we settle into the new year, experts around the business have been asked about their predictions for 2024. The topics they explored include learning, skills, and what employers will expect.
Let’s have a closer look…
In search of the truth
Stuart Pedley-Smith, Head of Learning
Although we have lived with technologies that have been able to fool us for some time, the ability to separate real from fake truth from lies will become much harder in 2024. The reason for this is the development of the many different types of Generative AI has made it much easier to create convincing and misleading content. But what makes this worse is that these generative models are both accessible and easy to use, meaning virtually anyone can trick you.
In terms of learning, plagiarism will become almost impossible to spot, requiring organisations to change their mode of assessment. More broadly, it will become hugely important that individuals develop much higher levels of scepticism to navigate the content they will see online. The call for action to those in education is that it’s incumbent upon us all to help people develop this new skill as quickly as possible.
The evolution of learning
Lisa Nelson, Director of Learning and Curriculum
We will see learning being enhanced using GenAI; for example, instant feedback and a digital classroom assistant sitting in your online course. Educators will leverage GenAI to produce content faster and at scale, including multimedia assets. Plagiarism will also need to be redefined, and educators will need to be more sophisticated with their assessment methodology - moving away from regurgitation of knowledge towards genuine assessment of skills.
Personalisation will become ubiquitous with a reduction in the "sage on the stage" approach and more "guide to the side." This brings the potential for Bloom's two-sigma problem (that the average student tutored one-on-one performs two standard deviations better than the average student educated in a classroom environment) to be solved as we will be able to deliver something similar to one-on-one coaching at scale.
Human skills will become an increasing focus for employers, especially when they recruit graduates and school leavers into entry-level roles. There will be an increased emphasis on retraining, upskilling, or reskilling the current workforce to address the rate of change in job roles, in part due to technological advances. Education is no longer only for those in their early years - it needs to exist beyond age 21.
The curriculum across post-secondary and post-graduate programmes, and increasingly across K12 and the secondary education space, needs to address sustainability and digital skills in the context of job roles. The importance of data and data insights will increase as we obtain more capability to make sense of unstructured data.
Greater focus on practical performance as employers head for the skills
Jenny Pelling, Director of Apprenticeship Development and Diversity
As a word first used in the 13th Century, ‘skills’ isn’t going to make the cut as ‘word of the year’ for 2024, as ‘rizz’ did in 2023. Yet it’s a word that will dominate more than ever in organisations across the globe this year.
Employers will move more to skills-based hiring, partly to remove the ‘paper ceiling’ barrier that exists for those unable to afford university degrees and partly to address the economic uncertainty this year poses. Companies will become leaner, which will imply a focus on skills and productivity. When hiring and promoting, employers will want practical assurance as to the individual's ability to execute the role. An economic recession, the probability of which increases as the effects of higher interest rates bite deeper over time, will only accelerate this shift.
Digital skills and Gen-AI competency have been much written about as talent gaps for employers to address. Employers also need people with complementary adaptability, change management, and emotional intelligence skills. The speed at which generative AI is evolving means this will be high on the 2024 agenda, with learning and talent teams prioritising skills development programmes, and Kaplan integrating AI skills within our apprenticeships. And perhaps, as some suggest, the role of a Chief Skills Officer will start to appear more on LinkedIn.
With the general election looming in the UK, the skills landscape may be set to change. Comments abound on the possibility of the apprenticeship levy being extended to encompass skills programmes.
The Divisive Potential of AI
Zoe Robinson, Managing Director, Kaplan Assessments
We're on the precipice of an AI revolution, and the speed at which this technology is hurtling forward is enough to make even the most seasoned professional do a double-take. Much has been written about the impact of AI on education and assessment, as well as the impact on future job roles. But my 2024 prediction focuses more on the here and now.
As noted writer (and originator of the term ‘cyberspace’) William Gibson stated, “The future is already here – it is just unevenly distributed.” We stand at the crossroads of a profound dichotomy – a workforce divided between those adept at harnessing the potential of AI and those grappling to comprehend its intricacies. We are dealing with a workplace where some seamlessly integrate AI into their professional repertoire while others cautiously observe from the periphery — and this divide is only set to get worse over time. It’s the modern-day equivalent of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ – a growing inequality that underscores the imperative for us as employers to act with foresight.
Those of us who are stewards of professional ecosystems bear the responsibility of ensuring that every member of the workforce is not merely exposed to AI but empowered to wield its capabilities. In the landscape of 2024, the employer's role extends beyond the deployment of cutting-edge AI tools. It necessitates the establishment of a culture of perpetual learning and the provision of avenues for continuous upskilling and reskilling. To be successful, teams need:
- Knowledge - A dynamic force and the onus is on us to disseminate it effectively across the organisational spectrum
- Time - The eternal conundrum that to save time in the future you must invest time now
- Culture - An openness to share best practices and permission to experiment (and fail).
Acknowledging the potentially overwhelming nature of AI, we need to make it our mission to facilitate engagement with as little friction as possible. Through targeted training initiatives, mentorship programmes, and collaborative frameworks, we must commit to dismantling barriers and ensuring every team member confidently rides the AI wave.
How to keep up to date with trends
There’s no doubt that the evolution of Artificial Intelligence is a topic that will continue to be discussed, and it is becoming increasingly important for employers and the workplace to upskill to keep up-to-date and ahead of trends.
A great way to upskill can be through apprenticeships and professional qualifications. At Kaplan, we offer several Data and Technology apprenticeship programmes, where we also provide a free Generative AI course - ensuring that your workforce stays knowledgeable, skilled, and prepared for any trends that come.
Aside from our successful apprenticeship programmes, we also offer in-house training for businesses. Get in touch with the team to find out more.
If you are a professional looking to upskill, browse our current vacancies or read more to find out how you can speak to your current employer about apprenticeships.
For all information regarding our Data and Technology apprenticeships, you can also download our brochure where you can find all information in one place such as funding, hiring, and contacting the team.