The report, “Ready, set, upskill: Effective training for the jobs of tomorrow” was prepared by Deloitte Access Economics for RMIT Online. It looks at the importance of digital and other skills for work today and into the future.
Chapter 5 of the report looks at how training can best help to develop skills and capabilities.
The issues
Technology, globalisation, workplace change and other forces such as COVID are shaping “what jobs are most in demand in the economy and how these jobs will be performed.”
As we highlighted in an article in the last edition, digital skills are becoming more important, with 87% of jobs in Australia requiring digital literacy skills. However,
“More than half of Australians have little to no understanding of coding, blockchain, artificial intelligence and data visualisation.”
So, there are fears out there that people will be left behind or even be made redundant even though there has also been some focus on soft skills, like communication, critical thinking and problem solving and finally organisation and time management skills. In short, jobs are changing!
The paper reports that “one in four of those surveyed said that they had not undertaken any training or learning in the last year, and a lot that was done was mandatory.” So, the paper asks, “What is holding employees back from more training?”. It points out that “around half of employees surveyed have access to employer provided training (which means half do not) and only 21% can access employer-subsided courses. Those with access also face other barriers to learning, mostly relating to time commitments.”
Let’s unpack this training issue a little, because it seems that work and personal commitments and course costs can get in the way of accessing training, or they are just not aware of what training is out there. In addition, “47% of Australians report that their training didn’t teach them anything new or was not relevant to their job.”
How training can help
This is what chapter 5 tells us:
First, Australians value learning and around 56% would like to see dedicated training and nearly 40% would like to have paid study leave over promotion. About one in five (1 in 5) would prefer access to funded training than a pay rise and about half would prefer to work in a firm with a learning culture. Three out of four (3 in 4) want to learn more about emerging technologies, the report suggests.
Second, training is not a one-size-fits all thing. “Different forms and mediums of training should be used for different purposes and different people. There is no steadfast
rule on how best to learn a skill, as they are often best embedded through multiple mediums and revisited on multiple occasions.”
Third, “people who have engaged in shorter term training in the form of self-directed learning, short courses or micro-credentials are more likely to consider the training they have done to be relevant,” but longer courses are seen as less relevant. (We looked at micro-credentials in the last issue too.) The paper suggests that “technical skills such as digital literacy and digital analysis are better learned through short courses / micro-credentials, or even employer-provided training. Even more complex skills such as coding or programming are better off taught through short courses, micro-credentials or a vocational certificate or diploma.”
Thus, there may be design issues with longer courses, and that some of the required softer skills are better learnt on the job, and mentorship, coaching or experience can all play a role there.
Finally, employers need to step up too. The report suggests that access to employer provided training could be more extensive. Indeed, RMIT Online’ paper reports that,
“Australian businesses spend $7 billion on recruiting new workers with the right skills, and only $4 billion on training and developing the skills of existing employees.”
