The Consortium aims to provide actionable
insights and identify new opportunities for reskilling and
upskilling
News Summary:
- The AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium is led by Cisco and
joined by Accenture, Eightfold, Google, IBM, Indeed, Intel,
Microsoft, and SAP. It will assess AI's impact on technology jobs
and identify skills development pathways for the roles most likely
to be affected by artificial intelligence.
- The formation of the Consortium is catalyzed by the work of the
U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Talent for Growth Task Force,
Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins'
participation in the Task Force, and input from the U.S. Department
of Commerce.
- Advisors include the American Federation of Labor and Congress
of Industrial Organizations, CHAIN5, Communications Workers of
America, DIGITALEUROPE, the European Vocational Training
Association, Khan Academy, and SMEUnited.
LEUVEN, Belgium, April 4,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and a
group of eight leading companies including Accenture, Eightfold,
Google, IBM, Indeed, Intel, Microsoft and SAP as well as six
advisors today announced the launch of the AI-Enabled Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) Workforce Consortium focused on
upskilling and reskilling roles most likely to be impacted by AI.
The Consortium is catalyzed by the work of the U.S.-EU Trade and
Technology Council's (TTC) Talent for Growth Task Force, with the
goal of exploring AI's impact on ICT job roles, enabling workers to
find and access relevant training programs, and connecting
businesses to skilled and job-ready workers.
Working as a private sector collaborative, the Consortium is
evaluating how AI is changing the jobs and skills workers need to
be successful. The first phase of work will culminate in a report
with actionable insights for business leaders and workers. Further
details will be shared in the coming months. Findings will be
intended to offer practical insights and recommendations to
employers that seek ways to reskill and upskill their workers in
preparation for AI-enabled environments.
Consortium members represent a cross section of companies
innovating on the cutting edge of AI that also understand the
current and impending impact of AI on the workforce. Individually,
Consortium members have documented opportunities and challenges
presented by AI. The collaborative effort enables their
organizations to coalesce insights, recommend action plans, and
activate findings within their respective broad spheres of
influence.
"AI is accelerating the pace of change for the global workforce,
presenting a powerful opportunity for the private sector to help
upskill and reskill workers for the future," said Francine Katsoudas, Executive Vice President and
Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer, Cisco. "The mission of
our newly unveiled AI-Enabled Workforce Consortium is to provide
organizations with knowledge about the impact of AI on the
workforce and equip workers with relevant skills. We look forward
to engaging other stakeholders—including governments, NGOs, and the
academic community—as we take this important first step toward
ensuring that the AI revolution leaves no one behind."
The Consortium's work is inspired by the TTC's Talent for Growth
Task Force and Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck
Robbins' leadership of its skills training workstream, and
input from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The TTC was established
in June 2021 by U.S. President Biden,
European Commission President von der
Leyen, and European Council President Michel to promote U.S.
and EU competitiveness and prosperity through cooperation and
democratic approaches to trade, technology, and security.
"At the U.S. Department of Commerce, we're focused on fueling
advanced technology and deepening trade and investment
relationships with partners and allies around the world. This work
is helping us build a strong and competitive economy, propelled by
a talented workforce that's enabling workers to get into the good
quality, high-paying, family-sustaining jobs of the future. We
recognize that economic security and national security are
inextricably linked. That's why I'm proud to see the efforts of the
Talent for Growth Task Force continue with the creation of the
AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium," said U.S. Secretary of
Commerce Gina Raimondo. "I am
grateful to the consortium members for joining in this effort to
confront the new workforce needs that are arising in the wake of
AI's rapid development. This work will help provide unprecedented
insight on the specific skill needs for these jobs. I hope that
this Consortium is just the beginning, and that the private sector
sees this as a call to action to ensure our workforces can reap the
benefits of AI."
The AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium's efforts address a
business critical and growing need for a proficient workforce that
is trained in various aspects of AI, including the skills to
implement AI applications across business processes. The Consortium
will leverage its members and advisors to recommend and amplify
reskilling and upskilling training programs that are inclusive and
can benefit multiple stakeholders – students, career changers,
current IT workers, employers, and educators – in order to skill
workers at scale to engage in the AI era.
In its first phase of work, the Consortium will evaluate the
impact of AI on 56 ICT job roles and provide training
recommendations for impacted jobs. These job roles include 80% of
the top 45 ICT job titles garnering the highest volume of job
postings for the period February 2023-2024 in the United States and five of the largest
European countries by ICT workforce numbers (France, Germany, Italy, Spain,
and the Netherlands) according to
Indeed Hiring Lab. Collectively, these countries account for
a significant segment of the ICT sector, with a combined total of
10 million ICT workers.
Consortium members universally recognize the urgency and
importance of their combined efforts with the acceleration of AI in
all facets of business and the need to build an inclusive workforce
with family-sustaining opportunities. Consortium members commit to
developing worker pathways particularly in job sectors that will
increasingly integrate artificial intelligence technology. To that
end, Consortium members have established forward thinking goals
with skills development and training programs to positively impact
over 95 million individuals around the world over the next 10
years. Consortium member goals include:
- Cisco to train 25 million people with cybersecurity and digital
skills by 2032.
- IBM to skill 30 million individuals by 2030 in digital skills,
including 2 million in AI.
- Intel to empower more than 30 million people with AI skills for
current and future jobs by 2030.
- Microsoft to train and certify 10 million people from
underserved communities with in-demand digital skills for jobs and
livelihood opportunities in the digital economy by 2025.
- SAP to upskill two million people worldwide by 2025.
- Google has recently announced EUR 25
million in funding to support AI training and skills for
people across Europe.
Accenture
"Helping organizations identify skills gaps and train people at
speed and scale is a major priority for Accenture, and this
consortium brings together an impressive ecosystem of industry
partners committed to growing leading-edge technology, data and AI
skills within our communities. Reskilling people to work with AI is
paramount in every industry. Organizations that invest as much in
learning as they do in the technology not only create career
pathways, they are well positioned to lead in the market." -
Ellyn Shook, chief leadership &
human resources officer, Accenture
Eightfold
"The dynamics of work and the very essence of work are evolving
at an unprecedented pace. Eightfold examines the most sought-after
job roles, delving into the needs for reskilling and upskilling.
Through its Talent Intelligence Platform, it empowers business
leaders to adapt swiftly to the changing business environment. We
take pride in contributing to the creation of a knowledgeable and
responsible resource that assists organizations in preparing for
the future of work." - Ashutosh
Garg, CEO and Co-Founder, Eightfold AI
Google
"Google believes the opportunities created by technology should
truly be available to everyone. We're proud to join the AI-Enabled
Workforce Consortium, which will advance our work to make AI skills
training universally accessible. We're committed to collaborating
across sectors to ensure workers of all backgrounds can use AI
effectively and develop the skills needed to prepare for
future-focused jobs, qualify for new opportunities, and thrive in
the economy." - Lisa Gevelber,
Founder, Grow with Google
IBM
"IBM is proud to join this timely business-led initiative, which
brings together our shared expertise and resources to prepare the
workforce for the AI era. Our collective responsibility as industry
leaders is to develop trustworthy technologies and help provide
workers—from all backgrounds and experience levels—access to
opportunities to reskill and upskill as AI adoption changes ways of
working and creates new jobs." - Gian Luigi
Cattaneo, Vice President, Human Resources, IBM EMEA
Indeed
"Indeed's mission is to help people get jobs. Our research shows
that virtually every job posted on Indeed today, from truck driver
to physician to software engineer, will face some level of exposure
to GenAI-driven change. We look forward to contributing to the
Workforce Consortium's important work. The companies who empower
their employees to learn new skills and gain on-the-job experience
with evolving AI tools will deepen their bench of experts, boost
retention and expand their pool of qualified candidates." -
Hannah Calhoon, Head of AI
Innovation at Indeed
Intel
"At Intel, our purpose is to create world-changing technology
that improves the lives of every person on the planet, and we
believe bringing AI everywhere is key for businesses and society to
flourish. To do so, we must provide access to AI skills for
everyone. Intel is committed to expanding digital readiness by
collaborating with 30 countries, empowering 30,000 institutions,
and training 30 million people for current and future jobs by 2030.
Working alongside industry leaders as part of this AI-enabled ICT
workforce consortium will help upskill and reskill the workforce
for the digital economy ahead." – Christy
Pambianchi, Executive Vice President and Chief People
Officer at Intel Corporation
Microsoft
"As a global leader in AI innovation, Microsoft is proud to join
the ICT Workforce Consortium and continue our efforts to shape an
inclusive and equitable technology future for all. As a member of
the consortium, we will work with industry leaders to share best
practices, create accessible learning opportunities, and
collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that workers are equipped
with the technology skills of tomorrow," - Amy Pannoni, Vice President and Deputy General
Counsel, HR Legal at Microsoft
SAP
"SAP is proud to join this effort to help prepare our workforce
for the jobs of the future and ensure AI is relevant, reliable, and
responsible across businesses and roles. As we navigate the
complexities of our ever-evolving world, AI has the potential to
reshape industries, revolutionize problem-solving, and unlock
unprecedented levels of human potential, enabling us to create a
more intelligent, efficient, and inclusive workforce. Over the
years, SAP has supported many skills building programs, and we look
forward to driving additional learning opportunities, innovation,
and positive change as part of the consortium." -
Nicole Helmer, Vice President & Global Head of Development
Learning at SAP
About Cisco
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SOURCE Cisco Systems, Inc.