Automation and Artificial Intelligence are some of the biggest buzzwords today, for good reason: broad application and rapid expansion. According to a Global Artificial Intelligence study, by 2030, AI will lead to an estimated $15.7 trillion increase in global GDP, just over 25%! While automation and AI will inevitably overtake some jobs and functions, The World Economic Forum estimates that in the next five years, technology will create at least 12 million more jobs than it absorbs. Net positive job creation sounds excellent, but these jobs aren’t run off the mill and are easy to come by. Automation roles require technology-savvy individuals and domain-specific knowledge. The challenge today is that traditional education avenues are not designed to keep up with emerging technology, specified boot camps are hard to come by and typically expensive, and proficiency resides within a limited number of experts. In the next few sections, we will cover the importance of democratizing this knowledge to reduce the digital divide and some of the steps Reveal Group takes to make this a reality.

Gaining New Skills

Continuous learning and improvement are undoubtedly important, but an alarming concern is growing between job openings and the skilled workforce. Organizations constantly struggle to find experienced and qualified employees, and there is a lack of training opportunities available for individuals. In a 2022 study compiled by Salesforce, nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) don’t feel equipped to learn the digital skills businesses need now, and even more (76%) don’t feel equipped for the future. There is a disconnect between organizations’ necessity and the availability of highly skilled individuals.

This is one of the reasons Reveal Group focuses so deeply on training and building capability within our team and our clients. When we think of learning at an organizational level, it generally boils down to two main concepts: upskilling and augmenting and self-sufficiency.

Upskill & Augment

Most commonly, upskilling refers to the concept of acquiring new skills. The need for upskilling is exacerbated by innovation, digital transformation, and the constant mutation of “efficient ways of working.” We generally see this in clients and individuals seeking a more modern approach to work, looking for a partner to help augment their current operations and coach them to work harmoniously alongside automated future states.

Self-sufficiency

Developing skills to work with automation or perform new functions is essential in training plans. However, another common component is the notion of self-sufficiency. Awareness and the ability to understand automation are the first steps, but clients and individuals having the skills and autonomy to manage their own automated future is equally, if not more, important. This includes building, governing, and enhancing future-state processes independently.

In either case, the key to enabling a successful automated future relies on training and capability building. Organizations and individuals who strive to learn and improve their digital capabilities continuously will see further success in the future, especially as our workforce becomes even more complementary with machines. The major hurdle is getting access to this specialized knowledge and training to reduce the skills gap. Enter Reveal Group.

Reveal Group’s Approach to Reducing the Digital Divide

Recognizing a large skill gap and proficiency in AI and automation, Reveal Group offers several channels to advance capability.

1.      Reveal Group University (Onboarding)

When new hires join Reveal Group, a significant focus is placed on onboarding and enablement. Our team comes from diverse backgrounds and numerous industries; sometimes, intelligent automation may not be part of their resume. We focus on building capability at the highest level and enabling our team members to become professional practitioners. New hires undergo an intensive 2-week ‘University’ where they will complete professional developer certifications in significant automation platforms, learn the basics of our automation delivery lifecycle, and complete numerous more training exercises. We aim to ensure our team has a deep knowledge and understanding of our technology partner ecosystem to pay it forward by supporting our clients.

2.      Reveal Group at Universities (Continued Education)

Reveal Group recognizes the importance of accessibility to training offerings and has partnered with major Canadian universities to offer an Intelligent Automation course in their Continuing Education programs. The course is a 2-month training hosted once a week to provide conceptual and practical learning elements of intelligent automation and how this can be applied within the workforce. Our highly skilled Reveal Group team members serve as the course’s instructors and bring real-world insight into the lecture. Not only are the basics of automation covered in the syllabus, but guest lecturers and cutting-edge adjacent technologies are highlighted to provide even further practical experience. This offering is open to aspiring developers or automation aficionados and is one of the many offerings Reveal Group provides to help build highly skilled individuals within the marketplace.

3.      Reveal Group Training Academy (Client-based Training)

Reveal Group offers enterprise clients classroom or virtual training through our Training Academy. The Training Academy is modeled after the world-class upskilling our internal team undergoes in an expedited format. The main difference is the Training Academy is tailored to our client’s requirements to provide foundational training in the platform most relevant to their environment. The Academy offers initial training to enable client resources to familiarize themselves with automation, as well as practitioner training to upskill future developers. Additionally, there are role-based training courses intended to guide every step and level of the automation program. A dedicated and experienced Reveal Group team member leads this to train our clients with the same quality and rigor as our internal consultants.

4.      Reveal Group Mentored Delivery (Hands-on Client Training)

Additionally, we offer clients a mentored delivery approach to provide hands-on coaching when building capabilities for Reveal Group clients. In the offerings, the training stopped before application. In this case, the Mentored Delivery is a multi-week mentored development wave to embed an industry-leading delivery methodology and reinforce best-practice development. Regular ‘Masterclass’ sessions will strengthen critical areas of importance as they are encountered in practice. Masterclasses typically include reviewing previous work, guidance on development standards and documentation, and many more ad hoc topics. We recommend client resources begin with less complex processes to progress their capability and move from theoretical to hands-on, real-world development experience, however, we are with them through every step to clear all hurdles. A Reveal Group team member will mentor and guide clients through their first automation delivery to accelerate their capability development.

Acquiring Technical Skills for the Future

As organizations and individuals embrace digital transformation, the need for upskilling and capability building is apparent. Employees require updated skills to keep up with their new roles and knowledge of working alongside the latest technology. The digital age requires that workers, regardless of the industry vertical, have technical skills and the ability to acquire new capabilities to keep up with the rapidly advancing marketplace. Reveal Group strives to play a role in bringing these skilled individuals to the market.

Interested in upskilling your employees and building internal capabilities? Reach out to our team.