Do you feel like the world of work is changing? Well, it may help to know you’re not the only one!
Sociologists and economists try to group periods of human history according to the way in which economic activity (or ‘industry’) occurs. There are a number of fairly well defined eras: whether it be those marked by the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution or the advent of computers. These have fundamentally changed the way most of us work.
The experts are now saying that we are moving into the fifth of these transitions – Industry 5.0. Industry 5.0 is focused on the twin challenges of climate change and technological change. The European Commission has been active in leading a vision for Industry 5.0 which delivers on:
- Sustainability (or regeneration, as we prefer to think about it)
- Human-centricity (specifically, in the face of technology change), and
- Resilience
For example, the EU is adopting the following initiatives:
- adopting a human-centric approach for digital technologies including artificial intelligence
- up-skilling and re-skilling European workers, particularly with digital skills
- modern, resource-efficient, and sustainable industries and transition to a circular economy
- a globally competitive and world-leading industry, speeding up investment in research and innovation
What does this mean for L&D?
Preparing for Industry 5.0 is a critical priority for learning and development practitioners everywhere – and this includes leaders and organisations themselves. The evidence suggests that, at this stage, we are scrambling to catch up with many of the shifts going on around us.
Some predictions are as much as 85% of the tech skills required by 2030 aren’t yet in existence. Research also shows that the biggest blocker to AI take up is, in fact, an absence of human skills. And, in the sustainability space, we know that the “green skills gap” is biting hard against efforts to decarbonise and lead a more regenerative future.
Of course, industries will be affected differently by this change. However, by labelling 5.0 as a new ‘industry’, there is a recognition that this will likely touch most of us. We already have some indications of this in the way that generative AI has leapt to the front of the public imagination (and changed the way certain people work).
To stay in touch and relevent, every business needs to be more regenerative and integrate the next era of technology into how they operate.
Leading Your Organisation into 5.0
For those looking to be prepared for Industry 5.0, there are a number of steps you can take:
- Ideate – Design a L&D strategy that straddles sustainability/regeneration and technology and how you are preparing your team to meet them. Think deeply and creatively about how Industry 5.0 will impact your sector specifically. How do you build resilience into your system? How do you equip your people to flourish?
- Intertwine – bring AI and other tech tools into not just what you learn but also how you learn. The way we learn is changing just as much as the landscape of work itself. Think about what Industry 5.0 means for L&D program design and how it can reinforce the skills people will need.
- Illuminate – Don’t be afraid to be a leader in the field, rather than taking a purely ‘wait and see’ approach. It is not necessary to be on the forefront of every development, but the more conversant you are with these areas of change, the better you will be positioned to adapt and benefit. For example, we are starting to talk about life-centred design (the next step on from human-centred design) as an approach to design and innovation. How might you bring this into your workplace?
- Integrate – You will never get a meaningful shift by separating L&D from the remainder of the business. It needs to be integrated with BAU and through the value chain. Buy-in horizontally and vertically is a critical part of growing through the challenges ahead.
Industry 5.0 is here and there is an exciting opportunity for you to meet it on your own terms. Lead your learning into the next era…
