Learning content

SECTION 1

1.1 What is learnability and why it is important

The desire or ability to grow and adapt your skills to remain employable is learnability. It is more complex than it sounds as it entails going from periodically doing and learning something new to adopting learning as a way of life. It’s about seeking new skills to learn on a continual basis. Eventually, the skill of learnability trains the mind to become agile and makes one better decked with a rich spectrum of skillsets.

As technological innovations accelerate, and individuals (learners and professionals likewise) face a future with scarce knowledge of new professions, embracing learnability as a foundational skill becomes crucial.

“Learnability” has become a priority for individuals as well as corporates. Manpower, a human-resources consultancy shows that the attribute of continuous learning is directly related to well-paid jobs.

The bosses at big tech giants like Google and Microsoft may not agree on many things, but there is one aspect they speak in a single voice on: the major pillar of hiring for the future is to seek out aspirants who are continuous learners.

Individuals who seek out continuous development of their skills come across as active employees who would take ownership of their jobs and make their best efforts to prove their worth. For the same reason, they are deemed more fitting to companies when dealing with unknown or ever-changing industries.

Learnability is therefore a crucial skill in an era that has become highly digitalised. Acquiring the skill of being a continues learner and seeking out opportunities for gaining new skills, especially when it comes to digital skills will open new doors for employment.

1.2 Learnability in the digital era

“The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills. Everything else will become obsolete over time.” - Peter Drucker”

The importance of digital skills to succeed in any job within the 4.0 industry.

The latest technological development called Industry 4.0, like the previous industrial revolutions, has also brought a new challenge for people as a labor force because new technologies require new skills and competencies. By 2030 the existing generation in the labor market will have a skill gap threatening human replacement by machines (Alhloul & Kiss, 2000).

4 digital skills everyone will need to cultivate to thrive in the new world of work:

1. Digital Literacy

Digital literally refers to the skills needed to learn, work, and navigate our everyday lives in our increasingly digital world. When we have digital literacy skills, we can interact easily and confidently with technology. This means skills like:

• Keeping on top of emerging new technologies
• Understanding what tech is available and how it can be used
• Using digital devices, software, and applications – at work, in educational settings, and in our everyday lives
• Communicating, collaborating, and sharing information with other people using digital tools
• Staying safe and secure in a digital environment

2. Data Literacy

We're currently right in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution, a movement that is defined by many waves of new technology that combine digital and physical worlds. For instance, you've probably noticed the flood of "smart" everyday devices on the market today, from watches to thermostats that are connected to the internet.

All that new technology is underpinned by data – and that’s why data literacy is one of the critical skills we’re going to need in the future.

Data literacy means a basic ability to understand the importance of data and how to turn it into insights and value. In a business context, you’ll need to be able to access appropriate data, work with data, find meaning in the numbers, communicate insights to others, and question the data when necessary.

3. Technical Skills

“Technical skills” is a broad category these days – it’s not just IT and engineering skills that will be needed in the workplace of the future. As the nature of work changes and workflows become more automated, a wide variety of technical skills are still enormously valuable.

In essence, technical skills are the practical or physical skills needed to do a job successfully. Demand for these skills goes far beyond coding, AI, data science, and IT – although admittedly, those skills are indeed in very high demand. If you’re a plumber, you have technical skills. Same for project managers, carpenters, nurses, and truck drivers.

We will need more specific technical skills in all industry as new technologies come on the scene, so you should be prepared to continually learn and focus on professional development through a combination of training, education, and on-the-job training.

4. Digital Threat Awareness

Cybercriminals are getting smarter and more nefarious as the world becomes more digital. This means new threats that could have enormous impacts on our personal and professional lives.

Digital threat awareness means being aware of the dangers of being online or using digital devices and having the tools you need to keep yourself and your organization safe.

With so many of our activities happening online (from making doctor’s appointments to ordering Friday night takeaway) happening online, our digital footprints are larger than ever.

Digital threat awareness means understanding the biggest threats in our everyday lives, including:

• Digital addiction
• Online privacy and protecting your data
• Password protection
• Cyberbullying
• Digital impersonation
• Phishing
• Data breaches
• Malware, ransomware, and IoT attacks

In general, lowering the risks of these digital threats means we all need to develop a healthier relationship with technology and teach others how to get the most out of technology to have it enrich our lives without being dominated by it.

SECTION 2

2.1 Jobs of the Future

As technology rapidly evolves, the above combination of skills could help job-seekers chase the top careers of tomorrow. So, what will be the most in-demand job roles in the future?

• Data Analysts and Data Scientists: Data science experts are desired in almost every field, from logistics and e-commerce to healthcare and banking. Millions of companies and government entities depend on big data to succeed and better serve their customers. Data science careers are already soaring in demand and this trend will continue. Degree programs in both data science and data analytics have been designed to develop the skills that employers are seeking and provide students with the opportunity to build hands-on experience prior to graduating. Deriving real business value from data needs a unique blend of technical skills, numerical knowledge, storytelling, and intuition.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Specialists: AI is destined to create some of the most significant and disruptive innovations of this century. Autonomous cars, chat bots, and smart home devices are all the applications and creations of an evolving AI era that will redesign the way we live and work. In the future, more and more industries will be depending on artificial intelligence and machine learning, which will lead to an incredible growth in the job market for talented AI and ML specialists. No matter what the new AI economy means for the future workforce, young students and professionals will undoubtedly benefit from entering this growing field.

• Digital Marketing Specialists: Digital marketing has taken over. Today’s consumers have become extremely dependent on digital platforms for various purposes such as online shopping and telehealth. The field of digital marketing is booming and as the significance of online media grows, so does that of digital marketing. An accomplished digital marketer needs strong analytical thinking, a knack for creativity, and a data-informed decision- making approach. This is important because data now allows us to deploy marketing campaigns that provide Internet users with personalised products, communications, and suggestions. A career in digital marketing means a fast-paced environment where something new is just beyond the horizon. Digital marketers need to stay updated about new tools and changing guidelines governing the various channels; so lifelong learning is certainly a unique part of this field.

• Internet of Things (IoT) Experts: International Data Corporation, a global market intelligence firm known as IDC, predicts that by 2025 there will be 55.7 billion connected devices worldwide, 75 percent of which will be connected to an IoT platform. Such an expansion will require the talent of IoT developers with the relevant set of skills to power these devices with functional software, which means higher demand and more jobs for IoT specialists. IoT is multilingual — it speaks many programming languages and needs experience with a wide variety of frameworks. Being able to operate at only one layer of an IoT architecture (which includes the device layer, the communication layer, the data management layer, the data analytics layer, and the user communication layer) is adequate to begin a successful career in IoT.

• Cybersecurity Specialists: Cybersecurity vacancies are high in number. Cyberattacks are growing by the day, and although we mainly hear about attacks of high-profile entities in the news, no organisation or individual with an online presence is completely protected from such attacks. Moreover, due to the continuously evolving nature of cybersecurity threats, continuous professional development is incredibly important in the field of cybersecurity.

2.2 Upskilling and Reskilling

As a society, we need to consider how existing roles will change and how people with at-risk jobs can shift to roles where they work in tandem with technology and go on to add value on top of it. Besides the economic repercussions of the pandemic, the current times have brought us an opportunity to relook at education, training, and skills development.

Navigating your way through the ever-evolving professional world can feel daunting, especially for those who work in more traditional jobs and sectors. However, the future of work is packed with potential.

The key to success? Securing opportunities to grow and transform your knowledge and skillset. Forward-thinking individuals are rethinking the way they approach their careers and will develop a love for continuous learning, upskilling, and reskilling.

By becoming agile and future-proof, such individuals will be better prepared to face the wave of the fourth industrial revolution and will ultimately thrive in the new landscape.

2.3 Skills for the future

One of the skills needs, identified by the Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum (WEF, 2018), as being of vital importance in the 4^th industrial revolution, apart from digital skills, also mentioned above, is “active learning with a growth mindset”. A person with a growth mind-set understands that their abilities and intelligence can be developed, and they know their effort to build skills will result in higher achievements. They will, therefore, take on challenges, learn from mistakes and actively seek new knowledge. This goes hand in hand with the competence of Learnability covered in this module.

Having acquired a growth mindset, will help you seek every opportunity available to upgrade your skills or acquire new ones.

One of the skills you should be focusing on to thrive in the 4.0 Industry is your “Digital Competence”.

What is Digital Competence?

Digital Competence is a combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes with regards to the use of technology to perform tasks, solve problems, communicate, manage information, collaborate, as well as to create and share content effectively, appropriately, securely, critically, creatively, independently, and ethically.

There are a lot of tools online which you can use to assess your digital competence and digital skills, which also provide resources for you to improve what needs to be improved based on your needs and goals.

Examples are:

• <The digital competence wheel.

The wheel’s purpose is to provide an overview of digital competences and offer concrete tools to how these competences can be elevated and improved.

Source: <https://euvirtualschools.eu/news/map-your-personal-digital-competences-and-identify-your-strengths-and-weaknesses/

• <Test your digital skills tool.

The digital skills self-assessment tool named “Test your digital skills”, is a new innovative tool that allows anyone to assess their level of digital skills and identify a learning plan to improve them, with a focus on the skills needed to thrive in the world of work.

Gap Analysis

Gap analysis is a process that is frequently used by companies when they want to assess the deviation between there current state and their desired goals. This helps them in designing an effective plan that will eliminate the deviation between where they are at and where they desire to be.

A similar process can be followed by you to assess where you are currently at and your desired goal when it comes to improving your digital skills or gaining new skills.

Steps:

1. State clearly the specific area to focus on during the analysis.
2. Define the goals you want to achieve.
3. Determine what the current state of the situation is.
4. Determine the desired state.
5. Identify the gaps and come up with steps to close them.

The above process will help you in getting clear of the steps you need to follow in order to improve your skills or gain new skills that will be of benefit to you based on your goals.

Case study

Context: A focus on the ability to plan for success by acquiring a “growth mindset” and mastering the competence of Learnability.

Description: John is the Head Executive Director of a manufacturing industry whose employees are mostly women. With the latest advancements in technology and the digitalization of everything, brought about by the 4^th industrial revolution, John is aware that to increase the productivity and stay competitive in the market he must upgrade all his systems, upgrade the software he is using and bring in new technologies.

John is concerned about his staff. Bringing in new technologies means that a lot of the work that was done manually will become automated and will be carried out by machinery. In addition, his employees will have to be able to know how to use the new technologies and software. That means loss of time and money.

John decides to contact other similar companies to ask for their opinion on how it is best to handle the situation. He doesn’t want to fire any of his employees as he understands the importance of them retaining their jobs.

After researching on the subject and receiving feedback from others in the industry, John decides that the best course of action to take is to re- skill his employees and make the appropriate changes so that his employees can work alongside the new technologies without losing their jobs.

John knows that for this to be effective he must plan everything out and make strategic steps that will ease the transition. He therefore uses a strategic plan template to assess where he is at now what the final goal is and the steps, he must take to reach that goal.

While brainstorming, he decides that one of the most important goals is to help his team acquire a “growth mindset” and the ability to become lifelong learners.

He designs online modules with the basic skills that his team will need and introduces them to his employees. He assures them that they will have plenty of support through the process and stresses the importance of Learnability and the skill of becoming lifelong learners.

Lesson Learned: New technologies and the digitalization of major aspects in the 4.0 Industry does not mean that people should lose their jobs over machinery. Instead, all employers should promote the acquisition of the competence of “Learnability” and the development of a “growth mindset”, so that employees can work alongside the new technologies.

Training yourself to develop that mindset will make you a better fit in todays market and will increase your chances in finding a job or retaining your current job position.

Questions and answers

Provide here content in the forms of QUESTIONS and ANSWERS, which can relate to real situations or be some recommendations.

Prepare content as follows:

Q1: What kind of mindset do I need to acquire to master the competence of Learnability?

A1: A person with a growth mind-set understands that their abilities and intelligence can be developed, and they know their effort to build skills will result in higher achievements. They will, therefore, take on challenges, learn from mistakes and actively seek new knowledge. Individuals who seek out continuous development of their skills come across as active employees who would take ownership of their jobs and make their best efforts to prove their worth. For the same reason, they are deemed more fitting to companies when dealing with unknown or ever-changing industries.

Learnability and a growth mindset are therefore crucial in an era that has become highly digitalised. Acquiring the skill of being a continues learner and seeking out opportunities for gaining new skills, especially when it comes to digital skills will open new doors for employment.

Q2: The company you work at decides to bring in new technologies and introduce new software. What are the best sets of actions to follow to achieve a smooth transition and make sure that all employees can retain their jobs?

A2: The management team should set a strategic plan in which they will:

1. State clearly the specific area to focus on during the analysis.
2. Define the goals they want to achieve.
3. Determine what the current state of the situation is.
4. Determine the desired state.
5. Identify the gaps and come up with steps to close them.

The final goal of the management team should be to retain as many as possible of their employees and support them in gaining the skills needed to work alongside the new technologies and be able to use effectively the new software introduced.

Training their employees to acquire a growth mindset and master the skill of seeking continues development will ensure the growth of both the company and the employees themselves, who will be able to carry out their duties effectively.

Q3: What is “Digital Competence” and what resources can you use to assess your digital competence and improve your digital skills?

A3: Digital Competence is a combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes with regards to the use of technology to perform tasks, solve problems, communicate, manage information, collaborate, as well as to create and share content effectively, appropriately, securely, critically, creatively, independently, and ethically.

There are a lot of tools online which you can use to assess your digital competence and digital skills, which also provide resources for you to improve what needs to be improved based on your needs and goals.

Examples are:

• <The digital competence wheel.

The wheel’s purpose is to provide an overview of digital competences and offer concrete tools to how these competences can be elevated and improved.

• <Test your digital skills tool.

The digital skills self-assessment tool named “Test your digital skills”, is a new innovative tool that allows anyone to assess their level of digital skills and identify a learning plan to improve them, with a focus on the skills needed to thrive in the world of work.

References

Alhloul, A., & Kiss E. (2022). Industry 4.0 as a Challenge for the Skills and Competencies of

the Labor Force: A Bibliometric Review and a Survey. Journal of Science 34 (4), 1-17.

Athuraliya, A., (2022). 5 Gap Analysis Tools to Analyze and Bridge the Gaps in Your Business (creately.com)

Borges, A. F., Laurindo, F. J., Spínola, M. M., Gonçalves, R. F., & Mattos, C. A. (2021). The strategic use of artificial intelligence in the digital era: Systematic literature review and future research directions. International Journal of Information Management, 57, 102225.

Edvantic (2022). Learnability: The Most Important Skill of the Future (edvantic.com).

Ellingrud, K., Gupta R., & Salguero, S. (2020). Building the vital skills for the future of work in operations.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/building-the-vital-skills-for-the-future-of-work-in-operations

European Commission website. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-skills-initiatives

Europa. Eu website. https://europa.eu/europass/digitalskills/screen/home

Kaka, A., (2022). Preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Top Skills and Careers (al-fanarmedia.org)

Marr, B. (2022). The 4 Digital Skills Everyone Will Need For The Future of Work.

https://bernardmarr.com/the-4-digital-skills-everyone-will-need-for-the-future-of-work/

Wold Economic Forum (2016). WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf (weforum.org)

Additional resources

1695-2294-ap-37-03-577.pdf (isciii.es) - Exploring skill requirements for the Industry 4.0 (journal)

The 4th Industrial Revolution Is Here - Are You Ready? (forbes.com) – The 4^th Industrial Revolution Explained.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1094670520933354 - McLeay, F., Osburg, V. S., Yoganathan, V., & Patterson, A. (2021). Replaced by a Robot: Service Implications in the Age of the Machine. Journal of Service Research, 24(1), 104-121.

https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/learning-games-that-put-play-first -Acquiring Learnability using games.

https://www.game-learn.com/en/resources/blog/why-are-learning-games-for-adults-more-effective-than-traditional-learning/ - Acquiring Learnability using games.

https://workforce-resources.manpowergroup.com/blog/why-learnability-is-the-most-important-skill-in-a-digital-world - The Importance of Learnability