Dive Brief:
- To "future proof" its workforce, PwC will be replacing the workload of 1,000 employees with "digital-heavy client work and projects and weekly classes on everything from cleansing data and blockchain to 3D Printing and drones," Digiday reports.
- The two-year Digital Accelerators program accepted 1,000 PwC employees of the 3,500 who applied. The company said it expects the program to speed production time for clients, while cutting costs, especially for those who use its marketing consulting division.
- The PwC shift is timely: A recent survey from the company revealed that 80% of executives report blockchain initiatives are underway at their company. Of the 600 respondents from 15 countries, 15% said the tech is already fully live in their organizations.
Dive Insight:
As more employers recognize that the fourth industrial revolution is poised to change how we do business, an environment of continuous learning is paramount. Training employees for jobs of the future is mission-critical for every industry.
The Trump administration's push to ready the workforce includes job training plans, but it may only be one piece of the puzzle needed to upskill staffers. Some believe today's workforce is lacking the skills necessary for today's jobs, much less tomorrow's. And a digital culture may be just as key as the digital tools that will enable such work.
Learning and development professionals can lead the way, ensuring that employees are continuously learning, even if it's not quite as formal and as frequent as PwC's program. And that goes for learning pros themselves, too.
