The consortium's primary goal is to enhance the skills and knowledge of individuals in roles expected to be affected by AI. It is driven by the efforts of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council's (TTC) Talent for Growth Task Force. Its objective is to investigate the influence of AI on ICT job positions, facilitate workers' discovery and access to suitable training programs, and connect businesses with competent and employment-ready individuals.

The Consortium, operating in the private sector, is assessing the impact of AI on the job market and the necessary skills for people to succeed. The project's initial round will conclude with the production of a report that includes practical and implementable insights for business executives and employees. Additional information will be disclosed in the upcoming months. The findings provide valuable insights and advice to companies who want to reskill and upskill their personnel to prepare them for AI-enabled environments.

The consortium members include companies at the forefront of AI innovation and have a comprehensive understanding of AI's present and future effects on the workforce. Each member of the Consortium has independently recorded the potential advantages and difficulties that arise from artificial intelligence. The coordinated effort allows their organizations to combine ideas, propose action plans, and implement discoveries within their respective broad areas of influence.

The AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium aims to meet the increasing demand for a skilled workforce capable of implementing AI applications in diverse business processes. The Consortium will utilize its members and advisors to propose and enhance training programs for reskilling and upskilling. These programs will be inclusive and advantageous to various stakeholders such as students, career changers, current IT workers, employers, and educators. The aim is to equip workers on a large scale to participate in the AI era.

The Consortium will initially assess the influence of AI on 56 ICT job positions and offer training suggestions for affected jobs. These job roles constitute 80% of the top 45 ICT job titles that received the highest number of job postings between February 2023 and 2024 in the United States and five major European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands) based on the ICT workforce data from Indeed Hiring Lab. Together, these nations represent a substantial portion of the ICT industry, employing 10 million ICT professionals.

All consortium members acknowledge the immediate and significant need to work together to speed up AI development in all business areas. They also realize the need to create a diverse workforce that provides well-paying jobs for families. Consortium members pledge to generate career paths in industries that progressively include artificial intelligence technologies. To achieve this objective, the members of the Consortium have set ambitious targets for skills development and training programs, aiming to have a beneficial influence on more than 95 million individuals globally during the next decade. 

The objectives of consortium members are:

• Cisco aims to provide cybersecurity and digital skills training to 25 million individuals by 2032.
• IBM aims to provide digital skills training and education to 30 million individuals by 2030, specifically focusing on training 2 million individuals in artificial intelligence (AI).
• Intel aims to equip over 30 million individuals with artificial intelligence (AI) skills by 2030, enabling them to excel in present and future employment opportunities.
• Microsoft aims to provide training and certification to 10 million individuals from underserved communities by 2025, equipping them with valuable digital skills in high demand for employment and economic possibilities in the digital economy.
• SAP aims to enhance the skills of two million individuals globally by the year 2025.
• Google recently disclosed EUR 25 million in funding to facilitate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) training and capabilities for individuals in Europe.

Source: IBM Newsroom, Cisco Newsroom

Image source: Cisco