Rethinking our approach to sustainability

A recap of the first episode in the LinkedIn “Conversations on upskilling and automation” series with PwC’s go-to-market product leader, Suneet Dua, and Annette Richardson of Richardson Partners and Ambershore Group.

When PwC joined global business leaders to set a goal of upskilling one billion people by 2030, we also committed to a sustainable future. 

“Sustainability is not just environmental,” argues Annette Richardson. “It is social. It is economic. And the challenge to really achieve sustainability is to meet the three components simultaneously.”

For more than 15 years, Richardson has worked with global leaders, as well as the United Nations, to address sustainability in the context of social trends and making scalable investments to protect future generations. That includes addressing the widening skills gap that has created societal and economic disparity over the past few decades. To successfully close the divide, it’s imperative that organizations offer equitable digital skill-building opportunities. 

At PwC, we began our upskilling journey by giving our people the training and tools they needed for future success. This created a culture of infinite learners who delivered work more efficiently. Our internal transformation inspired us to build a platform to help other companies digitally upskill their own workforce. “Your employee is the heart and soul of your company,” says Suneet Dua, PwC’s U.S. Products & Technology Chief Revenue and Growth Officer. “You’ll have to re-skill them, and this is where ProEdge is the platform of choice.”

ProEdge, an end-to-end digital upskilling platform, helps companies identify skill gaps and automatically generates customized learning pathways to help close them. Employees are empowered by digital tools that provide hands-on opportunities to take charge of their learning journey and stay ahead of a rapidly changing world. With easy access to micro-learning, ProEdge supports an inclusive learning environment to drive career development––and help fill the skill gaps.

Dua hopes digital upskilling will not only help to scale sustainability efforts, but also create opportunities within the communities that are facing some of the biggest challenges––like poverty and hunger––for decades to come. “At the end of the day,” he says, “that’s the legacy that people like [Annette and me] can leave behind.”