An upskilling solution for a fast-paced world

An upskilling solution for a fast-paced world 

The need for upskilling, reskilling and automation technology has never been higher, as 69% of CEOs agree that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) will require most of their workforce to develop new skills in the next three years.

We’re living through a time of disruption, but we’re united by a singular problem faced by every industry: making sure people have the right skills, knowledge and abilities to succeed—both in today’s and tomorrow’s jobs—so companies can stay relevant, be competitive and keep growing. This can’t be done in one-off training courses or static learning environments. And it’s become clear that companies can’t hire their way to the future without driving up costs, losing valuable knowledge and leaving significant gaps where skills are still in short supply.

The key to solving this problem is investing in targeted learning programs that can help benefit both individuals and organizations.

Skills development is critical to stay competitive

Although CEO’s are investing in technologies of the future, our Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey of the shows that many employees are either uncertain or unaware of these technologies’ potential impact on them. Businesses should help their people learn the skills they need in a shorter period of time. Especially with GenAI on the horizon of most enterprises, the urgency to upskill the workforce is ever more paramount. The good news is the availability and accessibility of digital skills are becoming democratized. With access to the right platforms and training, even non-technical people can learn how to automate a tedious task, build a data visualization or leverage another digital tool that makes their work easier.

Companies can then enjoy the benefits of upskilling across the organization — including using the time gained from automation on value-add and growth activities, such as creative problem-solving or collaborating with customers. But businesses have to commit to making the investment. If they don’t, they’re not just at a disadvantage — they risk becoming obsolete.

We’ve seen success in our own journey 

PwC’s upskilling investment is paying off. We used assessment tools to diagnose individuals’ digital knowledge baselines and then invited them to choose learning plans based on their preferences and goals. And we gave our people access to tools and learning programs that empowered them to understand and use technology, and to create the digital assets needed to better serve our clients and advance their own careers. 

In the first year of our upskilling program, we experienced

• Improved operating margin

• Top-line growth

• Enhanced employee experience

PwC’s people-led movement is scaling innovation across the organization, helping us save time and deliver more value to our clients.  

Starting 2023, PwC US is investing $1B over the next three years to expand and scale our AI capabilities and offerings, while helping clients reimagine their businesses using the power of GenAI. 

Finding success for individuals and businesses 

Every company is unique, with its own strategy, goals, skills and skill gaps. One size does not fit all—but one approach can. We built ProEdge to bring it all together in one place for clients. This platform weaves together the range of capabilities needed to empower a company to digitally transform its workforce today and plan for its workforce of tomorrow.  

ProEdge is an upskilling platform built by the people who powered PwC’s digital transformation. After analyzing what worked in our upskilling journey, we built a holistic platform that evaluates an organization’s existing skills, forecasts digital skills needed for future success and benchmarks where a company stands compared to industry peers. 

The platform pulls from over 200 million labor market data points, combines that data with a company’s workforce details, and figures out what skills an organization needs to stay competitive—now and in the future. Then ProEdge builds learning and credentialing pathways that enable individuals to build the skills needed to close the skill gaps, create their own digital solutions and share them across teams to drive efficiencies across the enterprise.  

Companies know that upskilling is becoming the new normal. According to the World Economic Forum, employers predict that 44% of workers' skills will be disrupted in the next five years. Six in 10 workers will require training before 2027, but only half of workers are seen to have access to adequate training opportunities today. 

This lack of engagement pushed us to design learning experiences that include opportunities to measure and get rewarded for progress through credentials. Social networks and moments of celebration help make learning stick and let people know they’re not alone in their journey toward success. We built these experiences into the ProEdge platform by including ways to connect with others who are on similar learning paths and have similar interests. Gamification (like fun in-app quiz shows), leaderboards and rewards keep people engaged, encourage collaboration and foster a culture of continuous learning. 

Closing skill gaps with an easy-to-use upskilling platform is a win for the enterprise, but it’s also about lifting up a group of individuals. With ProEdge, the learning is customized and applicable to the work employees actually perform. And it’s scalable. ProEdge also provides a means to align individual and business goals. This is about forging a path for future success for an organization and its people.  

Invest in Tomorrow 

Accelerate your employees’ learning and help drive scalable impact for your business with ProEdge, a PwC product —an intuitive, AI-powered learning platform that leverages hands-on experience and aggregated content to prepare your learners for real business challenges.