STRATEGIZING

SKILLS

TRANSFORMATION

FORIMPACT

ADipstickStudyontheEmergingApproaches

toEmpowerLearners

APeopleMattersandSkillsoftStudy

Skillsoft

PeopleMatters

India

MediaPvt.Ltd.

3rdFloor,NorthWing,Plotno.5,

944,BlockC,

JVPBuilding,SoftwareUnitsLayout,

SushantLok1,Gurgaon

Hitechcity,Madhapur,Hyderabad,

Haryana-122001

Telangana–500081India.

www.peoplematters.in

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TABLEOF

CONTENTS

Foreword04

Introduction

05

KeyFindings

06

Topchallengesforskillstransformation

Theroleofstrategicpartnerships

Thelearningmodalitiesatwork

TheupcomingAI-revolutioninlearning

Conclusion

15

ExpertViews

16

Foreword

THEJOURNEY

TOSKILLS

TRANSFORMATION

ACCELERATES

Learningisnolongeranevent;it'sacontinuousjourney.

Thecontemporaryworldofworkisundergoingaprofoundtransformation

catalysedbyrapidtechnologicaladvancementsandevolvingmarketdynamics.Asautomation,arti?cialintelligence,anddigitalizationrede?neindustries,

traditionaljobrolesarebecomingobsoletewhilenewonesemerge.

Thisshiftdemandsacomprehensiveoverhauloftheskillslandscape.Organizations?ndthemselvesconfrontedwiththechallengeofbridgingthewideninggap

betweenexistingemployeeskillsetsandthedemandsoftheseemergingroles.

Thechallengeliesinidentifyingtherightskillstoinvestin,designinge?ectivelearningpaths,andensuringseamlessintegrationofupskillinge?ortsintotheeverydayworkenvironment.

HumanResourcesandLearning&Developmentleadersareattheforefrontof

thisskillstransformationendeavour.AndourDipstickStudyshowsthatthey

haveatoughtimeconvincingstakeholdersanddecision-makersaboutthetangiblereturnsoninvestmentinskillsdevelopment.

Asthejourneytowardsanewworldofskillsandjobscontinuestoaccelerate,

it'snowcriticaltonotjustconveytheimportanceofskillstransformationbutto

design,adopt,drive,andengageemployeestoengageinskillsdevelopmentatscale.

Wethankalltheparticipantswhohavecontributedtothisdipstickstudy.

INTRODUCTION

Intoday'sever-evolvingbusinesslandscape,organizationsarepresentedwitha

uniqueopportunitytorede?netheirapproachtoskilltransformation.Theabilitytoremainagileandcompetitivehingesonhowe?ectivelycompaniescannavigatetherapidlychangingdemandsoftheworkforce.

Toembarkonthisjourney,itiscrucialtoarticulatetheskilltransformation

processwithutmostclarity,providingemployeeswithatransparentroadmapthatanswersthe'why,''what,'and'how'ofupskillinge?orts.

Creatingacultureofcontinuouslearningando?eringampleresourcesforskill

developmentarefundamentalpillarsofsuccessinthisendeavour.Companiesthatembracetheseprinciplesempowertheirworkforcetonotonlyadaptbutthrive

amidstdisruption.

Yet,thequestionremains:Howareorganizationsacrossvariousindustriesandsectorsapproachingskilltransformationintoday'sdynamicenvironment?

Toanswerthiscriticalquery,theDipstickStudyonStrategizingSkills

TransformationforImpactdelvesintothestrategiesandpracticesemployedbyover100organizations.

Thisstudyshedslightonthediverseapproachesandinnovativesolutionsthat

organizationsareimplementingtopreparefordisruptionsintheirskillstrategies,ultimatelyshapingthefutureofworkforcedevelopment.

TREND1

BUSINESSALIGNMENTANDMEASURING

EFFECTIVENESSARETHETOPCHALLENGESTODRIVINGSKILLSTRANSFORMATION

Asnewrolesemergeandoldonesevolve,it'schallengingfororganizationstoaccuratelypredictwhichskillswillbemostrelevantinthenearfuture.Thismakesaligningskilldevelopment

e?ortswiththerapidlychangingneedsofthebusinessacomplextask.

Thedynamicnatureofthemodernworklandscape,thecomplexityofrequiredskills,the

absenceofstandardisedapproaches,andtheintricaterelationshipbetweenskilldevelopmentandbusinessoutcomesmakeitchallengingtoalignandassessbusinessimpactclearly.

ThetopchallengeshighlightaclearimperativeforLearningandDevelopment(L&D)leaderstobridgethegapbetweentheire?ortsandthebroaderbusinesscontext.Theforemostchallenge,with56%ofrespondents,isthestruggletomeasuretheimpactoflearninginitiativese?ectively.ThisunderscorestheimportanceofdemonstratingtangibleresultsandROIinbusinessterms.ItalsounderscoresthevitalroleofL&Dleadersinspeakingthelanguageofbusinesstoovercomethesechallengesanddrivemeaningfulskilldevelopmentalignedwithorganizationalgoals.

TOPCHALLENGESTOIMPLEMENTINGSKILLTRANSFORMATION

Lackofalignment

betweenskills

transformation

initiativesand

overallbusiness

strategy

56%

44%

42%

35%

Limitedemployeeengagementandparticipationin

skilldevelopmentprograms

Limitedbudgetandresources

allocatedforskilltransformationinitiatives

measuringthe

e?ectivenessandimpactofskillstransformationinitiatives

Resistanceto

changefromemployeesandstakeholders

Di?cultyin

44%

Simplifyingtheprocessofplanningandexecutingaworkforcetransformationcanbeachievedbyleveragingyourorganization'sjobarchitecture.Awell-structuredjobarchitectureo?ersascalable,globallyrelevant,andmarket-alignedframeworkforallroleswithintheorganization.

Thisframeworkisinvaluableduringworkforcetransformatione?ortsbecauseitallowsleaderstoquicklydiscerntheexactskillsrequiredforeachroleandunderstandhowvariousrolesrelatetooneanother.

Furthermore,implementingrole-basedlearningcanenhancetrainingprogramadoptionrates.Inarole-basedlearningsystem,employeescane?ortlesslyaccesscontentdirectlyrelevanttotheircareers.Whentrainingcontentalignscloselywithanemployee'srole,theyaremorelikelytoengagewithitenthusiastically.Thisincreasedlearnerengagementtranslatesintobetter

resultsfromlearningprograms.

TREND2

EXPANDEDLEARNINGACCESSAND

ENGAGEMENTARETHETOPBENEFITSOF

STRATEGICPARTNERSHIPS

Strategicpartnershipso?ersigni?cantadvantagesforskillstransformation,particularlyfororganizationsnavigatingdynamicindustries.Thesepartnershipsprovideaccesstospecialisedexpertise,tailoredtraining,andacceleratedlearningprograms.

Datafromthedipstickstudyshowedthat86%oforganizationsalreadyengagestrategicpartnersintheirjourneyforskillstransformation.Outofwhich,amajorityofthem(64%)usepartnerstosomeextent,while22%ofthemsaytheyengagepartnerstoagreatextent.

Theprevalenceofutilizingstrategicpartnerssuggestsaconduciveenvironmentforlearningandknowledgesharing.Collaborationwithexternalpartnerscanbringfreshinsights,

diverseperspectives,andspecializedresourcesthatcontributetoawell-roundedskillstransformationprocess.

STRATEGICPARTNERS

FORSKILLSTRANSFORMATION

64%

NOTATALL:

Ourorganizationdoesnotleveragestrategic

partnershipstoenhanceskillstransformation

e?orts

TOSOMEEXTENT:

Strategicpartnershipsareusedtosomedegreetoenhanceskills

transformatione?orts

TOAGREATEXTENT:

Strategicpartnershipsareactivelyutilizedtoenhanceskills

transformatione?orts

22%

14%

Strategicpartnershipsalsopresentasetofchallengesthatmustbenavigatedfore?ective

collaboration.Aligningdiversegoalsandobjectivescanprovetobeintricate,potentiallycausingcon?icts.Resourceallocation,encompassing?nancial,human,andtechnologicalaspects,

requirescarefulnegotiationtoensureequitabledistribution.

70%oforganizationsconsiderexpandedlearningresourcesandcontentasatopbene?t,

highlightingthecrucialrolethatstrategicpartnershipsplayindiversifyingandenrichingthelearningexperience.

62%oforganizationsseeaccesstospecializedexpertiseasakeybene?t,underscoringthevalueofpartneringwithsubjectmatterexpertsandindustryleaders.Thisindicatesthatexternal

partnersbringuniqueinsights,domain-speci?cknowledge,andpracticalexperiencethatcansigni?cantlyenhancethequalityofskillstransformationinitiatives.Manyorganizationsbelievethatstrategicpartnershipsenhanceemployeeexperienceandsatisfaction.

TOPBENEFITSFROM

STRATEGICPARTNERSHIPS

70%

62%

61%

Increasedspeedofskillacquisition

49%

Expandedlearningresourcesandcontent

Accesstospecializedexpertise

Enhancedemployeeexperienceandsatisfaction

Strategicpartnerscanalsoplayapivotalroleinaddressingthechallengesposedby"jobfunctiondrift."Asemployeestakeonadditionaltasksoutsidetheirde?nedrolesduetoskillsgapsor

talentshortages,strategicpartnerscanprovidevaluablesupport.Thesepartnersoftenbringspecializedexpertiseandresourcestothetable,enablingorganizationstoadaptswiftlytoevolvingworkforceneeds.

Bycollaboratingwithstrategicpartners,organizationscanaccesstailoredtrainingprogramsandresourcesthatalignwiththechangingdemandsoftheiremployees.Thesepartnerscanhelp

identifyemergingskillrequirementsandproviderelevantcontentandtrainingsolutions.

Moreover,theybringexternalperspectivesandindustryinsightsthatenrichanorganization'sunderstandingofevolvingjobfunctions.

TREND3

GAPINLEARNINGMODALITIES

CONTINUESTOPREVAIL

Intoday'srapidlyevolvingbusinesslandscape,e?ectivelearninganddevelopmentstrategiesareparamountfororganizationsstrivingtostaycompetitive.ThefollowinginsightsshedlightontrendsinlearningmodalitiesservingasvaluableguidanceforL&Dleaders.

On-the-jobtrainingstandsoutasthemostwidelyembracedlearningmodality,accordingto

?ndingsofthisDipstickstudy,withclassroom-basedtrainingcloselyfollowingsuit.Thepopularityofclassroom-basedtrainingcanbeattributedtotheproximityoftrainersandtheopportunitiesito?ersforengagingininteractivediscussions,therebyenhancingthelearningexperience.

Virtualtrainingsessionshavegarneredsigni?canttractionaswell,signalingashifttowardsmore?exiblelearningoptions.Therelativelyhighadoptionrateindicatesthattheprevalenceofremote

workarrangementsandthedemandforaccessibletraininghavedrivenorganisationstoincorporatevirtualtrainingintotheirlearningstrategies.

Theprominenceofself-pacedonlinelearningasamodalityunderscorestheincreasingprevalenceofdigitallearningplatforms.Thisapproachempowersindividualswiththe?exibilitytolearnattheirownpaceandconvenience,aligningwellwiththemodernlearner'spreferences.

Mentoringandcoachingassumeapivotalroleinemployeedevelopment,asevidentfromtheirrelativelyhighadoptionrate.

Increased

speedofsk

illacquisit

ion

62%

Classroom

-basedtrai

ning

61%

Virtualtra

iningsessi

ons

58%

Self-paced

onlinelea

rning

52%

Mentoring

andcoach

ing

49%

Digitalan

daudioboo

ks

20%

Totrulyensurethatthelearningmodalitiesgapsare?lled,companiesneedtointegratejobarchitecturesintotheirlearninganddevelopmente?orts.Jobarchitecturesgobeyondjust

identifyingrolesandresponsibilities;theycanserveasafoundationforvariousaspectsof

employeegrowthandperformanceimprovement.Forinstance,inthecontextofcoaching,jobarchitecturescanpinpointthespeci?cskillshigh-performingemployeesneedtocultivateastheyprepareforleadershiproles,ensuringatargetedapproachtotheirdevelopment.

TREND4

AMAJORITYOFORGANIZATIONSARENOT

READYFORANAI-REVOLUTIONINSKILLS

Only3%oftheorganizationssaytheyarewell-preparedforanAI-revolutioninskillsdevelopment.

DatafromtheDipstickrevealadiverserangeofperspectivesonAI'simpactonskillsandorganizationalpreparedness.Whileasigni?cantportionacknowledgesthetransformativepotentialofAI,someuncertaintyandvariabilitypersist.

Organizations'levelsofpreparednessspanthespectrum,fromthosetakingproactivestridestofullyembraceAI,tothosestillgrapplingwithreadinesschallenges.Onlyasmallpercentage(3%)oforganizationsconsiderthemselvesextremelyprepared,re?ectingaselectgroupthathastakensubstantialmeasurestoensureseamlessAIintegration.Organizationscouldbeatriskoffallingbehindinthefast-evolvingAIlandscapeiftheydonottakestepstobridgethereadinessgap.

AI'SIMPACTONSKILLS

36%

Moderatelyimpactingcertainskills

34%

Signi?cantlytransformingtheskillslandscape

21%Havingminimalimpactonskills

8%Notsure

ORGANIZATIONALPREPAREDNESSFORAI

39%

Somewhatprepared

25%

Moderatelyprepared

16%

Notatallprepared

Veryprepared

16%

Extremelyprepared

3%

AutomationinLearningandDevelopment(L&D)byleveragingAIandMLo?ersamultitudeofadvantagesforL&Dleaders.Itexpeditescurriculumdevelopment,scaleslearninginitiatives,andelevatestheoverallqualityoflearningpathways.

Onesigni?cantbene?tisstreamliningcontentcurationandtargeteddelivery.Withtheaidofjobarchitectures,rolesandtheirassociatedskillsetsareclearlyde?ned.AI/MLcontenttagging

simpli?esthetransformationofthisdataintopracticalcurricula.AutomationwithAI/MLcontenttaggingeliminatestheseissues,ensuringthatorganizationsdeveloplearningprogramsthat

encompassallcriticaldetailsandrelevantcontent,therebyenhancingprogramqualitysigni?cantly.

AIidenti?esrelevantcontent,whileMLensuresaccuracy,enablingcontenttobesystematically

organizedintoappropriatelearningpathsandpromptlydeliveredtotheemployeeswhorequireit.Additionally,automationacceleratesprogramscaling.Evensubstantialcontentlibrariescanswiftlybecomecurated,coherentlearningpathsadaptableacrossvariouscontenttypes,formats,and

learningproviders.

Anothercrucialadvantageistheenhancementofprogramexcellence.PriortotheintegrationofAI/ML,L&Dadministratorshadtorelyonmanualcuration,aprocesssusceptibletosubjectivejudgment.Evendedicatedsubjectmatterexpertscouldstruggletocomprehensivelyevaluatevastcontentrepositorieswithoutomissions.

CONCLUSION

Asorganizationscontinuetoevolveandnavigatethechallengesoftoday's

dynamicenvironment,thecommitmenttoskilltransformationandthe

integrationoftheseinsightswillbeinstrumentalinshapingthefutureof

workforcedevelopment.Itisafuturewhereadaptability,continuouslearning,andstrategicpartnershipswillbethekeystolong-termsuccessandresilience.

Theintegrationofdigitaltools,personalization,diverselearningformats,and

strategicpartnershipsfurtherampli?esanorganization'sabilitytoadaptand

thrive.Theseelementsnotonlyimprovebusinessalignmentbutalsoenhancethemeasurementofe?ectivenessandengagement.

Strategicpartnershipsarealsoinstrumentalinmanagingrisksanduncertainties.Inanunpredictablebusinessenvironment,thesepartnershipscano?erstabilityandresiliencebysharingtheburdenofchallengesanduncertainties.By

diversifyingamongpartners,organizationscanreducetheirexposuretomarket

?uctuationsorunexpecteddisruptions.Theuseofstrategicpartnersisapowerfulstrategyfororganizationslookingtothriveinadynamicandcompetitivelandscape.

And,inthiseraofdigitaltransformation,embracingAI/MLframeworksin

learningisnolongeramereoptionbutastrategicnecessity.Asorganizationscontinuetonavigatetheevolvinglandscapeoftalentdevelopment,thosewhoharnessthepowerofautomationwillbebestpositionedtoadapt,innovate,andthriveintheknowledge-driveneconomyofthefuture.

EXPERT

VIEWS

SKILLSTRANSFORMATIONNEEDS

AMULTI-FACEDAPPROACH

BHAWNACHOUDHARYKADAN

Head-TalentManagement,CairnOil&Gas,

VedantaLtd

Intherealmofskillstransformation,organizationsfaceseveralcriticalchallengesthatdemandstrategicsolutions.Oneofthetophurdlesistheselectionoftherighttechnologytoinitiatethescalingprocess.Thisdecisioncarriestheriskoftechnologyobsolescence,whichcanhinder

long-termsuccess.

Moreover,aligningtheskillsoftheworkforcewiththerapidlyevolvingdemandsoftheindustry

isafundamentalchallengethatcannotbeoverlooked.WithoutacomprehensiveSkill

AssessmentFramework,identifyingandbridgingexistingskillgapsbecomeschallenging,impedingprogress.

Resourcelimitations,particularlyrelatedtotime,poseanothersigni?cantobstacleto

implementingarobustandsustainedskilltransformationprogram.Theseconstraints,thoughnotsolely?nancial,haveasubstantialimpactontheorganization'scapacityfortransformation.

Additionally,anoticeablecommunicationgapregardingupskillinginitiativescanhinder

employeebuy-inandunderstanding,a?ectingtheoverallsuccessofthetransformatione?ort.

Addressingthecommunicationchallengeinvolvesidentifyingitsprimarysource,whetherit

residesatthemanagerialorleadershiplevel.Understandingtherootcauseiscrucialfore?ective

resolution,ensuringthatalllevelsoftheorganization'sactivelyworktobridgethecommunicationgap.

Resistancetochangeamongemployeesisamajorchallenge,particularlywhenleaders

themselvesneedtoacquirenewskills.Thisunderscorestheimportanceofconsistent

communicationandactiveleadershipinvolvementindrivingskilldevelopment.Itshouldbeintegratedintotheorganization'sbusinessagendaandactivelypromotedfromboththe

employeeandleadershipperspectives.

Inindustriescharacterisedbyconstantevolution,likeOilandGas,skilltransformatione?ortstakeamultifacetedapproach.Skillgapassessmentsguidetargetedtrainingprograms,often

involvingpartnershipswithexpertsandafocusoncontinuouslearning.Leadershipinvestmentinskilldevelopmenthasshiftedtowardguidingteamsthroughchangeandsettinganexample,recognizingtheindustry'sdrasticandsuddenshifts.

TheriseofAIisreshapingindustries,byautomatingroutinetasksandenhancing

decision-makingprocesses.AIcomplementsanalyticsbyidentifyingemergingskillsetsandpredictingchanges,enablingproactiveupskillinge?orts.

Externalpartners,suchasSkillsoft,alloworganizationstotailorlearningexperiencesfor

employees.Thesepartnershipsexpandhorizonsandfosterself-directedlearning,contributingtopersonalexcellenceandgroomingyoungleaderswithintheorganization.Thisapproachnotonlybene?tsemployeesbutalsobringsfreshtalentfromcampuses,providinguniqueperspectives

andpurposetotheorganization.

Inconclusion,navigatingthechallengesofskillstransformationdemandsastrategicand

multifacetedapproach.Fromtechnologyselectiontocommunication,leadershipinvolvement,

andAIintegration,organizationsmustadapttotheever-evolvingdemandsoftheirindustries.

Collaborationwithexternalpartnersandacommitmenttocontinuouslearningarekeydriversofsuccessinthistransformativejourney.

ALIGNINGSKILLSWITHNEWJOBNEEDSWILLBECRITICALFORSKILLSTRANSFORMATION

MVNRAO

Head-CorporateLearningandDevelopment(CLO),

Larsen&ToubroLimited

Intherapidlychanginglandsc