How are Deloitte and Pearson Tackling the AI Skills Gap?

Pearson and Deloitte have announced a new partnership to co-develop and deliver end-to-end talent, leadership and workforce development solutions for both global enterprises and government organisations. 

This initiative is designed to help organisations support their employees in developing their skills, particularly as new and innovative AI capabilities emerge. 

Announcing the partnership Omar Abbosh, CEO of Pearson, says: "Technology is reshaping the workplace faster than ever, and the most critical skill today is the ability to learn. 

“As the half-life of skills shortens, organisations need learning that's continuous, adaptive and embedded in the flow of work. 

“Our alliance with Deloitte brings together Pearson's learning science and AI-powered products with Deloitte's transformation expertise - helping employers build the agility and capability they need to thrive. Together, we're enabling people to learn, grow and perform at scale."

The AI skills gap

As AI technology continues to evolve, businesses find it difficult to keep pace with the change it brings. 

A report from the World Economic Forum and Cognizant, titled New Economy Skills: Building AI, Data and Digital Capabilities for Growth, found the demand for AI skills is growing faster than educators and workforces can respond, creating a digital skills gap. 

The report found that this skills gap is particularly prevalent in smaller organisations or those in slower moving industries where employees are less likely to be recipients of advanced upskilling initiatives. 

A lack of this kind of upskilling can place both employer and employee at a disadvantage, preventing organic growth for smaller businesses.

It is not just smaller companies that are struggling with the AI skills shortage. 

A lack of AI preparedness is being felt across organisations, and could significantly impact business competitiveness – with a study from the University of Birmingham suggesting that the UK alone could face a US$37.17bn loss due to a gap between the needs of businesses and the skills available to them.

However, research suggests that many organisations are unsure how to tackle this problem. For instance, 94% of CEOs and CHROs identified AI as their top in-demand skill in a report by the IDC, only 35% of business leaders felt their employees were prepared to use AI within their roles. 

Deloitte and Pearson’s partnership

Pearson and Deloitte’s collaboration draws upon both organisations' experience to develop new learning capabilities that will tackle these challenges. 

The partnership aims to address immediate needs in the global market, including AI learning and leadership development. 

Aiming to meet evolving talent demands, the two companies are creating a range of AI powered talent solutions – including industry and in-role skills intelligence platforms, scaled learning, content delivery, assessments and credentialing. 

In a joint statement, the companies say they hope the solutions will help leaders, employees and pre-career talent adapt to new technologies and succeed in the workplace, while also giving global enterprises a competitive edge. 

Joe Ucuzoglu, Deloitte Global CEO, says: "Developing a future-ready workforce is at the forefront of every organisation's strategic agenda. 

“Through this collaboration, we are bringing to market Deloitte's leading capabilities spanning engineering, reimagining the future of talent and skills, workforce design experience, and Pearson's world-class learning and skills solutions. 

“Together, we will help clients shape and adapt to the changing nature of work and build sustainable, innovative workforces for the future."