New world. New skills.

The need to upskill, and reskill, the workforce has never been more urgent. Everyone should be able to live, learn, work and participate in the digital world.

Bridging the digital divide of a global skills gap is a complex problem that requires all stakeholders to work together to make the world a more resilient, more capable and more inclusive place.

Here at PwC, we’ve been on a journey to upskill our own people and we’re excited to share what we've learned. We are ready to help businesses, governments, non-government organisations (NGOs), local communities and individuals accelerate their upskilling journey and create the workforce of tomorrow, today.

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Bridging the digital divide | 12min 18sec

Building better skills for society

Building on our work with clients, we are working with other organisations (like UNICEF) to improve digital skills in communities where the need is the greatest. Still, more must be done  to ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn, work and participate in the future digital world. This is at the heart of our purpose.

Helping organisations to upskill

Organisations are transforming their workforces to drive productivity, innovation and growth. Upskilling is key. It’s about anticipating the right skills for the future, laying the cultural foundation, delivering modern upskilling programmes, and building a learning and development function with the right EdTech to deliver a vastly better return on upskilling investment.

Reaching youth

Helping youth develop and acquire the skills required for the digital age is one of the most acute challenges communities are facing. Not only were youth amongst the hardest hit by COVID-19  — youth employment rates dropped 8.7% in 2020,  more than twice that of the adult employment rate — our research estimates between 20-40% of jobs currently held by 16-24 year olds are at risk of automation by the mid-2030s. PwC and UNICEF are collaborating to help upskill millions of young people around the world. The collaboration supports Generation Unlimited, a multi sector partnership aimed at helping 1.8 billion young people transition from school to work by 2030. Learn more.

PwC’s collaboration with UNICEF is just one of the many ways PwC is helping communities upskill and builds on the network’s existing community impact programmes that have been focusing on this challenge for many years. Read more about some of our community programmes i.e. PwC China working alongside local NGO Adream Foundation, to support 20,000 rural students to explore digital and design thinking skills, as well as how PwC UK is supporting disadvantaged school students, undergraduates and other social mobility beneficiary groups such as refugees develop skills for the future. Explore more how PwC is directly impacting through community initiatives.

Businesses, governments and institutions working together on this complex issue

Solutions to the upskilling challenge need to be developed at the local, regional and national level; no one organisation can do this alone. Government leaders and policymakers need to ensure citizens have the knowledge and skills to participate and thrive in a future workforce. Those same leaders must also develop themselves driving the discussion on the future of technology and regulation. Institutions, such as those that make up the education system, need to digitally transform themselves and at the same time provide services that are fit for the future.   

Read about PwC’s involvement in the Luxembourg Digital Skills Bridge project, a government-led initiative which brought together stakeholders across business, trade unions and training providers to deliver a comprehensive national solution for developing workforce skills. 

The need to upskill is a complex problem that will require decision-makers — educators, national, regional and local government administrators and business leaders — to come together. If you would like to find out more about what we at PwC are doing, get in touch.

PwC’s digital transformation journey - upskilling 284,000 people

PwC recognised that as we continued to evolve as a business, we had to upskill our global workforce. So we set out on a mission to change the way we work, while creating space for our people to learn, build, and scale innovation. 

Our journey to become a digital business doesn’t stop there though. We are a human-led and tech-powered network. We are equipping our people with new skills, digital tools and capabilities to be successful in the future helping clients solve their most challenging issues. Find out more

Insights on upskilling

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Contact us

Marthle du Plessis

Marthle du Plessis

Workforce of the Future Africa Leader, PwC South Africa

Tel: +27 (0) 11 797 4075

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