New report finds more industries implementing workforce training
Upskilling on artificial intelligence has gone out of the tech bubble as more industries across the world doubled down on AI training, according to a new report.
Findings from Udemy revealed that the financial services and manufacturing industries logged major increases in AI-related course consumption in the last quarter of 2024.
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"AI upskilling is no longer confined to tech teams; it's become a workplace necessity across industries," the report read.
According to the report, the AWS Certified AI Practitioner also saw the largest increase in consumption when it comes to tech skills from the third quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2024.
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"The data makes it clear: GenAI adoption is accelerating across sectors, from finance to manufacturing," said Udemy CEO Greg Brown on LinkedIn. "As AI transforms industries, redefines jobs, and changes workplace skills demands, organisations must prioritise AI upskilling to keep pace with change."
Brown's remarks add to the growing number of calls urging organisations to prioritise upskilling in the wake of spreading AI adoption across the world.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the scale of workforce upskilling and reskilling needed among the workforce remains significant in the wake of evolving skill demands.
"If the world's workforce was made up of 100 people, 59 would need training by 2030," the WEF said in its The Future of Jobs Report. "Of these, employers foresee that 29 could be upskilled in their current roles and 19 could be upskilled and redeployed elsewhere within their organisation."
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Upskilling involves employees learning new skills to enhance their current role performance, according to Oracle, which underscored its importance to rapidly changing job requirements and technological advances.
"Establishing clear upskilling goals and personalised development plans can help organisations and employees focus on acquiring relevant skills, ultimately supporting business strategy and reducing the disruption caused by market and technological trends," Oracle said on its website.
To effectively upskill employees, Oracle offered the following advice:
Audit skills gaps and business needs continuously
Assess and catalogue employee skills
Empower employees by fostering an environment where learning is encouraged
Connect skills data to career mobility opportunities
Deploy technology, including AI, to gain better visibility on their workforce's skills in real time
Develop mentorship programmes
Set upskilling goals
Create personal development plans
Establish learning time and schedules
Create post-training plans where skills are put to use
Track progress, including completion rates for training, on upskilling goals
