As robots, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) perform more tasks and there is massive disruption of jobs, experts say a wider array of education and skills-building programs will be created to meet new demands. This report highlights two uncertainties: Will well-prepared workers be able to keep up in the race with AI tools? And will market capitalism survive? A central question about the future, then, is whether formal and informal learning structures will evolve to meet the changing needs of people who wish to fulfill the workplace expectations of the future. Pew Research Center and
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As robots, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) perform more tasks and there is massive disruption of jobs, experts say a wider array of education and skills-building programs will be created to meet new demands. This report highlights two uncertainties: Will well-prepared workers be able to keep up in the race with AI tools? And will market capitalism survive? A central question about the future, then, is whether formal and informal learning structures will evolve to meet the changing needs of people who wish to fulfill the workplace expectations of the future. Pew Research Center and Elon's Imagining the Internet Center conducted a large-scale canvassing of technologists, scholars, practitioners, strategic thinkers and education leaders in 2016, asking them to provide their views on the likely future of workplace training.
This report describes this research. Some 1,408 responded to the following question, sharing their expectations about what is likely to evolve by 2026: In the next 10 years, do you think we will see the emergence of new educational and training programs that can successfully train large numbers of workers in the skills they will need to perform the jobs of the future? Participants were asked to explain their answers and offered the following prompts to consider: What are the most important skills needed to succeed in the workforce of the future? Which of these skills can be taught effectively via online systems - especially those that are self-directed - and other nontraditional settings? Which skills will be most difficult to teach at scale? Will employers be accepting of applicants who rely on new types of credentialing systems, or will they be viewed as less qualified than those who have attended traditional four-year and graduate programs? Respondents collectively articulated five major themes (the first three being 'hopeful' and the last two being 'concerns') that are detailed in this report: (1) the training ecosystem will evolve, with a mix of innovation in all education formats; (2) learners must cultivate 21st-century skills, capabilities and attributes; (3) new credentialing systems will arise as self-directed learning expands; (4) training and learning systems will not meet 21st-century needs by 2026; and (5) technological forces will fundamentally change work and the economic landscape (Jobs? What jobs?). Most of the respondents expect a diversifying education and credentialing ecosystem and a focus on nurturing unique human skills that AI and machines seem unable to replicate.
Edited excerpts from publication.
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