Maintaining Job Security In The Age Of AI

>> ONE POTENTIAL REASON FOR A LACK OF SLEEP. FEAR OF AI TAKING YOUR JOB, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND AUTOMATION ARE CHANGING THE WORKPLACE FOR ALMOST EVERYONE. AND IF YOU'RE NOT KEEPING UP, YOU LIKELY WILL BE LEFT BEHIND. A NEW SURVEY FINDS THAT NEARLY 80% OF HIRING LEADERS PREFER CANDIDATES WHO HAVE UPDATED SKILL SETS IN TODAY'S WORKPLACE AND CONTINUALLY UPDATING THOSE SKILLS ARE A VALUABLE TOOL IN OBTAINING JOB SECURITY. WE ARE JOINED BY PROVOST AND FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX CAREER INSTITUTE DOCTOR JOHN WOODS, DR WOODS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON. APPRECIATE THE TIME. >> DR. AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES, MORE JOB SKILLS ARE DEVELOPING. WHAT WE CALL A HALF-LIFE. CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS AND HOW IT IMPACTS WORKERS TODAY? >> YEAH. THE BEST WAY TO THINK ABOUT THE PHRASE, THE HALF-LIFE OF SKILLS IS THAT THE SKILLS THAT YOU HAVE THAT MAYBE HELPS YOU GET THE JOB THAT YOU YOU PERFORM TODAY OR THAT YOU PERFORM EVERY DAY ON THE JOB THAT THOSE SKILLS BECOME A LITTLE BIT LESS RELEVANT. A LITTLE BIT LESS VALUABLE EACH AND EVERY DAY BECAUSE THE PACE OF CHANGE, PARTICULARLY TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES AROUND US. SO IT PUTS A REAL PREMIUM ON A CONTINUOUS UPSKILLING LEARNING HOW TO DO NEW AND DIFFERENT THINGS BECAUSE THAT WHAT YOU'RE PERFORMING TODAY ON THE JOB MIGHT NOT BE THE SAME SKILL THAT KEEPS YOU IN THE JOB INDEFINITELY. >> HOW IS AI AND AUTOMATION CHANGING THE WORKPLACE AND WHAT DO WORKERS NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO PROTECT THEIR JOBS? >> YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THINK OF AI AND AUTOMATION IS HAVING AN IMPACT ON TECHNICAL FIELDS, TECHNICAL JOBS, TECHNICAL SKILLS. BUT THERE REALLY HAVING AN IMPACT ON ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, PROFESSIONS, JOBS, EVEN THE ONES THAT WE DON'T THINK OF IS NECESSARILY HIGHLY TECHNICAL. THEY'RE REALLY BRINGING IN TO THE WORKPLACE MORE TOOLS THAT ARE A VERY DIFFERENT IN NATURE FOR COLLABORATION THAT ARE MANAGING WORKFLOWS THAT ARE CHANGING THE WAY WORK HAPPENS ON THE JOB. SO AND PEOPLE NEED TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO HOW THAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR PARTICULAR FIELD OR INDUSTRY AND TRY AND LEARN THE SKILLS TO MAINTAIN THEIR VIABILITY AND THEIR VALUE IN THE WORKPLACE. >> DR ACCESS TO LEARNING HAS EVOLVED TREMENDOUSLY IN THE PAST DECADE. HOW CREDIBLE ARE ONLINE LEARNING CERTIFICATES PROGRAMS AND EDUCATION THAT'S OUT THERE. >> YEAH, I THINK PROBABLY MAYBE SPED UP A LITTLE BIT BY COVID WHEN WE ALL HAD TO GO ONLINE AND WE'RE SEEING IN THIS SURVEY THAT 98% OF EMPLOYERS BELIEVE THAT ONLINE LEARNING AS MORE CREDIBLE THAN IT WAS A DECADE AGO. SO THERE'S REALLY WIDE ACCEPTANCE OF ONLINE LEARNING AND ONLINE LEARNING FITS INTO IS THE WORKING PERSON'S DAILY LIFE, BOTH THEIR WORK LIFE AND THEIR PERSONAL LIFE. AND JUST IF IT'S A LOT BETTER AND THAT'S REALLY INCREASED ITS CREDIBILITY ORGANIZATIONS ALSO SAY AND IN OUR SURVEY THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE LEARNING ONLINE DEMONSTRATE ADAPTABILITY AND ARE OFTEN BRING TO THE TABLE. THE NEWEST AND MOST CURRENT SKILLS THAT THAT ARE BEING TAUGHT. SO IT HAS A LOT OF ADVANTAGES. >> WHEN IT COMES TO RECRUITERS AND HIRING LEADERS OUT THERE. HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS CONTINUED EDUCATION AND TRAINING WHEN THEY'RE PLAYING FOR JOBS ON APPLICATION? >> YEAH. AND NOT ONLY DO WE TALK ABOUT THE HALF-LIFE OF SKILLS, BUT WE'RE SEEING THAT CONTINUOUS LEARNING IS A SIGNAL IN AND OF ITSELF TO EMPLOYERS TO HIRING MANAGERS AT IT. IT REPRESENTS TO THE EMPLOYER TO THE PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER THAT SOMEBODY IS ADAPTABLE. SOMEBODY IS WILLING AND READY TO LEARN TO GROW, TO CHANGE WITH THE CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING AROUND THEM. SO NOT ONLY ARE THE SKILLS THAT SOMEBODY AS LEARNING IMPORTANT, BUT THE FACT THAT THEY'RE EMBRACING CONTINUOUS TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, CONTINUOUS LEARNING GROWTH, THAT'S A SIGNAL AND REAL VALUABLE ONE AND OF ITSELF THAT EMPLOYERS AND HIRING MANAGERS ARE LOOKING FOR. >> WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE TOO? MATURE WORKERS, SEASONED PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT AI TAKING OVER THEIR JOBS AND THEY ARE WORRIED. >> YEAH, I THINK IT'S GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT KIND OF IMPACT IN DIFFERENT SORTS OF WORK SETTINGS. AND SO PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE THING I WOULD ADVISE IS LOOK AROUND AND SEE HOW THE DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES ARE. INNOVATIONS IN AI OR AUTOMATION ARE IMPACTING YOUR SPECIFIC FIELD. YOUR SPECIFIC INDUSTRY FIGURE OUT WHAT SKILLS YOU MIGHT NEED TO LEARN AND HAVE A CONVERSATION RIGHT AWAY WITH YOUR EMPLOYER ABOUT WHAT SORT OF TRAINING DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THEY OFFER OR IF THEY DON'T OFFER THEM WHAT SORTS OF TRAIN DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THEY WOULD SUPPORT IN TERMS OF FUNDING AND EMBRACE THE IDEA OF THE LEARNING BOTH RIGHT AWAY AND ONGOING THAT THERE'S NEVER REALLY WE THINK GOING TO BE A TIME WHEN WE CAN STAND STILL THAT THE EXPECTATION NOW IS ONE OF LIFELONG LEARNING. >> ANY FINAL THOUGHTS ON RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOMEONE WHO WAS TO PROTECT THEIR CAREER? >> WELL, I GET STARTED AND DON'T THINK OF IT AS A ONE AND DONE. CONSIDER IT TO BE KIND OF A WAY OF LIFE MOVING FOR THAT. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO NEED TO CONTINUOUSLY A NEW SKILLS. AND SO I GUESS IT WOULD BE GET STARTED IN AND DON'T DON'T THINK THAT IT CAN VERY QUICKLY THAT LEARNING IS FOR LIFE NOW. >> GREAT ADVICE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. DR WOODS. >> THANKS. ENJOYED CHATTING WITH YOU TODAY.