Edtech vendor Instructure says organisational and education-institution learning programmes, especially e-learning, are set to become more important as job roles become obsolete.
Ryan Lufkin, vice president of global strategy at Instructure, said in a document promoting the company’s survey on transferable skills that organisations need to identify and close these expected skills gaps.
“By partnering with universities and using a common, shared language, companies are able to create a dedicated funnel of employees with skills that directly map on to those they need, reducing on-boarding time and the need for supplementary on the job training,” Lufkin pointed out.
Instructure’s report noted, among other things, that there are already skills shortages, while the cost of higher education is continuing to rise in relation to the expected return on investment for students.
“Traditionally, higher education has been linear and binary. Once you enter the path to a degree you either graduate or you don’t,” Lufkin added.
He suggested that credentialling and badging features in digital learning technologies could augment skills, courses and certification in ways that might increase transparency for organisations looking to fill their skillset “funnel”.
“With credentialing, we’re able to break the traditional two-year [diploma] or four-year degree down to its component skills and issue badges around individual courses or certificates, or around a bundled set of courses to students as they master these skills,” Lufkin explained.
“Even if they don’t achieve a full degree, they still have proof of skills they’ve developed to show to potential employers.”
E-learning tech can close skills gaps
Such badges and credentials could function as a sort of “shared language” between employers, prospects and the like, according to the Instructure report.
Lufkin said that adults without the time or money to, for example, enter a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programme to advance their careers could also benefit by “stacking” relevant credentials, certifications or other “bite-sized learning offerings”.
Digitised badging and credentialling could help organisations assess the leadership potential of prospects as well as create structured training opportunities on an individual level, suggesting a larger role for full-featured e-learning software – such as Canvas by Instructure.
This might enhance learning and engagement in ways which improve business outcomes, the Instructure report indicated.
People are now expected to remain in the workforce for longer, which means they are more likely to retrain, whether for their current role, other roles or to enter entirely new professions.
Without more emphasis on upskilling and reskilling, organisations will likely find it increasingly difficult to fill vacancies, he suggested.
Instructure is set to announce its Q1 2023 financial results on 1 May, with a conference call 5pm Eastern US time that day. Click here for more details on how to tune in.
