Swinburne University has released a study on future learning in the digital workforce. (June 2019) Entitled “Peak Human Potential: Preparing Australia’s Workforce for the Digital Future”, the study takes a not unfamiliar route through digital disruption of the workforce, including job opportunities, skills and training needs.
Workers prefer on job learning, as referenced in the Executive Summary:
“The study reveals another remarkable trend: the more digitally disrupted their industry, the more workers prefer to learn on the job. Work is where disruption is taking place, not in the classroom. Formal, structured education’s ability to simulate the transforming workplace decreases as the leading edge of technology rapidly advances. We must reverse this disconnection by bringing learning and work together.”
The solution proposed is yet more Government policy directives and funding to help establish learning infrastructure. Unfortunately the study appears to undervalue the existing, or growth in, Sector Four skill development, occurring and hidden in plain sight!
“We need to shift learning into future workplaces by trialling new learning approaches delivered through partnerships of education institutions and employers.”
Of course, as the recent (December 2018) NCIVER study referenced in this blog indicates, employers and workers are rapidly moving away from institutional learning, with a preference for short skills delivered for immediate workplace impact.
To view the full report click here.