ACCA (The Association
of Chartered Certified Accountants), Nutshell Conferences and IBM joined forces
for a thought-provoking and future-focused conference ‘Strategy Summit 2019’ in
Karachi addressing tomorrow's skills and jobs challenges through the prism of
digitalisation, SDGs & Future of work.
In her interactive
keynote, ACCA's Global Head of L&D, Juliet Szabo-Merridew, set the scene,
saying: “It is imperative to understand the impact of artificial intelligence
and other digital technologies on employment, as well as current and future
labour market demand. And of course to take the appropriate actions to re-skill
and up-skill the current workforce, and make sure the skills of the young
generations in countries like Pakistan are future-proof”.
“This is what ACCA
does, by equipping our students and members with the real-world skills and
expertise needed to make an immediate impact in all types of organisation. This
includes a digital and technology research programme - comprising our latest
research on Machine Learning- which
explains its tremendous opportunities, but also why ethical judgment and
emotional intelligence remain vital”, Juliet Szabo-Merridew, added.
All speakers agreed
that to shift mind-sets, this must be a collective effort. Policy makers, youth
organisations, individuals, employers, education providers, civil society, all
need to think how to develop the professional skills needed in this changing
world, also going beyond technical knowledge.
Sajjeed Aslam, head
of ACCA Pakistan moderated a high-level panel discussion exploring the future
of leadership and discussed how to develop the strategic business leaders the
world needs. The discussion featured contributions from Robert Nicholas,
Regional Managing Director Middle East Africa, 3M, Carol J. Ariano, Vice
President Human Resources, Aga Khan University, and Stuart Dunlop, Regional
Director Middle East & South Asia, ACCA.
“However, as we also
need to promote sustainable growth, this requires certain conditions to make
the most of it, such as developing new digital skills, integrated in education
systems. It is also crucial that the existing workforce is trained and
re-trained, as technology is changing much faster than our education systems. We
shouldn’t forget the workforce that needs support, especially when it comes to
precarious forms of employment”, Sajjeed Aslam explained.
Anticipation of
future skills needs plays an important role, as well as flexible ways of
learning, including on the job training. Vocational Education and Training
(VET) is a good way to develop initial, labour market relevant skills, but also
to up-skill and re-skill later in life. Speakers reminded the need to address
both low and high end of skills distribution, as the major portion of current
labour force in Pakistan has no or almost no digital skills, and agreed that
the important question is how to motivate people to participate in lifelong
learning and how to balance the responsibility between the public and private
sectors and also the individuals.
“Both the public and
private sectors have important roles to play in assisting workers as they
transition to the digital economy, expanding opportunities to reach a bigger
pool of skilled workers, and preparing the next generation for the jobs that
software creates in various industries,” said Stuart Dunlop, Regional Director
Middle East & South Asia, ACCA.
Other prominent
conversation leaders included Muhamamd Azfar Ahsan, Founding CEO, Nutshell
Conferences, Patchamuthu Illangovan, Country Director South Asia Region, The
World Bank, Prof. Sohail Inayatullah, UNESCO Chair in Future Studies at UNESCO
& USIM, James Michael Lafferty, Olympic Coach, Author, Philanthropist &
Speaker, Charbel Antonios, IBM Storage Sales Manager Middle East Pakistan, Paul
Keijzer, CEO, The Talent Games, Ron Thomas, Managing Director, Strategy Focus
Group, Eva Mourino Busllo, SVP Human Resources, Siemens Middle East, and y
Lesego Judith Sennelo, Founder & Managing Director, Gosele Advisory
Services, South Africa.
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