Reports warn implementation of AI is held back by lack of skills
Businesses are set to increase investments in AI, but how far can they get with a workforce that don’t know how to use it?
With the boom of AI within almost every industry, there’s a clear gap in the market for skilled AI professionals. It was reported by McKinsey that 92% of companies plan to increase their AI investments, but other reports would prove this to be difficult to roll-out due to lack of technical abilities and knowledge.
The Skillsoft Global Skills Intelligence Survey revealed that despite the positive outlook, only 10% of HR and L&D professionals are confident their workforce can deliver on business goals in the next 12–24 months. The biggest issue being skills gaps with 28% saying it limits their ability to expand into new markets or opportunities.
The Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report similarly revealed that AI was a huge focus for businesses with 19% running large-scale AI projects. 33% of those were already reporting a demonstrable ROI, this number could be larger, but a shocking 51% aren’t upskilling their employees.
Written by
Ryan is a specialised corporate learning and development (L&D) manager who advises businesses on the best training solutions for their staff. He has collaborated with hundreds of companies to understand the specific skill gaps in teams and conduct thorough competency benchmarking. This means he has a deep understanding of where workforces are often strong and where they tend to fall behind in terms of digital skills.
AI is the biggest global skills shortage since 2009
Nearly 50% of businesses want AI built into skills intelligence tools, yet 28% cite a lack of technical AI expertise. AI is the fastest growing skills shortage in 16 years with almost half of the organisations surveyed by Harvey Nash not yet implementing meaningful AI training.
In fact, it is believed that employees are overstating their skills in leadership and AI according to 91% of HR professionals. A further 1 in 3 estimate that 41-60% of new hires arrive with critical skills gaps.
In short: businesses aspiring to stay ahead of the AI curve isn’t enough. To get anywhere close to implementing AI sufficiently, businesses need to invest in workforce training and new hires that have actual, demonstrable skills their business needs.
Turning workforce development into business growth
Despite 85% of companies already having development programmes, only 20% reported that those programmes align with business objectives. That’s why we design out bespoke Learning & Development packages to actually align with the needs of today’s businesses.
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