How the role of L&D is changing in 2024: Key predictions

Much has been written over the past couple of years about the rapidly evolving nature of work. The speed of technological advancement has required a rapid paradigm shift in organizational structure. A centuries-old positioning that put people into specific “jobs” is now being replaced with one that focuses on skills as the focal point for unlocking agility, productivity, and employee happiness.

The true velocity of digital transformation has perhaps never been so acutely felt as it has in 2023, a year that has been dominated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which shifted generative AI from a theoretical to a tangible tool available at everyone’s fingertips.

The impact has been immediate. According to a recent Springboard survey, nearly a quarter (23%) of tech professionals said that AI has already drastically changed their jobs. This is unsurprising given an October 2020 report from the World Economic Forum which declared that AI and automation will disrupt 85 million jobs globally before 2025 — and create 97 million new roles. According to WEF, by 2025, nearly half (44%) of the skills that employees will need to perform their roles effectively will change.

In the effort to stay ahead of the changing nature of work (which, by the way, includes advancements beyond AI), companies at the forefront of digital transformation have already recognized the need to invest in reskilling and upskilling to drive business growth. This is more than a safety plan, it’s a strategic imperative. Labor market constraints — including an aging working population, a dearth of new talent, and the regular emergence of net-new required skills — necessitate that organizations establish robust reskilling programs to adequately develop their people.

As we look ahead to 2024, L&D teams will be critical partners in cementing this new positioning. Organizations will increasingly turn to L&D not only to reimagine company-wide learning programs, but also to be strategic leaders in the identification of company-specific skills gaps and opportunities tied to business goals. The L&D function is set to become absolutely vital to driving holistic business success by equipping employees with the appropriate skill sets required to thrive.

This coming year will be an exciting one — one that’ll greatly expand the scope and impact of L&D’s role. To navigate this transition smoothly, there are a number of considerations and investments to make, and it can be challenging to figure out what to prioritize.

Here are my top predictions on the best bets L&D teams can make as they seek to maximize their impact in 2024.

Teach employees how to work with AI

With all of the media attention devoted this year to AI, it may be hard to believe that we are still in the very early days of the AI revolution. But, the truth is, AI has only just begun reshaping our lives. Because this digital revolution is still in its infancy, now is the prime time for L&D leaders to build an AI-forward culture at their organizations, driving education and experimentation.

Inaction on responding to the proliferation of AI is simply untenable—its impacts on the state of work will be massive. A recent IBM report surveyed 300 C-suite executives across 22 industries to gauge their POV on the impact of generative AI on labor, finding that:

• Executives estimate that 40% of their workforce will need to reskill as a result of implementing AI and automation over the next three years — that’s 1.4 billion of the 3.4 billion people in the global workforce

• 83% of executives say that generative AI will reinvent the way their organization works

Generative AI will impact virtually every business function and is poised to significantly reinvent the operations for many. Organizations that embrace its benefits will gain an important edge. A 2023 McKinsey Global Survey found a “startlingly strong connection between organizations that have built a strong innovative culture and their ability to increase value through the newest digital technologies, including generative AI.”

Learning & Development leaders are crucial in the work of building an organizational culture that embraces innovation. The coming year provides an opportune time to equip your company with the right AI skill sets — a charge that includes not only implementing targeted upskilling programs that are function-specific, but also cultivating a culture that eagerly welcomes the latest digital advancements.

Personalize training with a human-centered approach

Some of the inaction on AI has risen out of fear that many workers have about AI’s potential to replace them. However, this concern is largely unwarranted. According to IBM, 87% of C-suite executives expect job roles to be augmented, rather than replaced, by AI.

L&D should use this coming year to actively tackle this disconnect between employees and leadership. Some of the criticism levied against AI has centered around its impersonal nature. Engaging with a machine is a solitary exercise, after all. And now that the majority of office workers have either hybrid or fully remote working arrangements, the risk of employee isolation is great.

By investing in a people-centric culture — even in hybrid or remote environments — L&D and HR leaders can combat these risks. When it comes to assessing upskilling and reskilling programs, it’s important to consider pedagogical approaches that center the learner and offer ample opportunities for human connection.

Generalized, one-size-fits-all training (like the kind offered by giant LMS and LXP providers) is no longer sufficient in today’s work environment. Instead, there’s an urgent need for a human-centered approach—one that personalizes training at both the functional and individual levels.

Sharpen data literacy & critical thinking across the board

As the state of work shifts from a jobs orientation to one that centers on skills, companies will need to develop a sophisticated understanding of supply (existing employee skill base) and demand (skills needed to remain competitive), according to Harvard Business Review.  Key to this effort will be L&D, which will become a primary partner to leadership in holistic skills management.

To succeed, L&D will need to leverage analytics in new ways. KPIs will shift away from learning engagement and completion rates to metrics that increasingly demonstrate that L&D programs are directly driving business outcomes.

Related: Do the benefits of AI-based technologies outweigh the risk for employers?

Yet, the vast majority of L&D organizations are themselves underskilled to deliver on this new imperative. According to Deloitte, 95% of L&D orgs do not excel at using data to align learning with the business or to increase the effectiveness of learning methods. Sixty-nine percent lack the skills to ask the right questions to connect learning to business results.

Many L&D leaders overlook their own upskilling. Next year is the perfect time to focus on data literacy and critical thinking skills — both internally and across the organization. L&D is not alone in the struggle to activate around data. According to Harvard Business Review, 90% of business leaders say data literacy is key to company success, but only 25% of workers feel confident in their data skills.

Moving forward, L&D will need to partner strategically with functional leaders to identify, predict, and remedy skills gaps. A solid foundation in data-driven strategic thinking will enable company-wide objective decision-making that drives business growth.

Develop benefit programs that attract young talent hungry to learn

I’ve spoken at length so far about the urgent need to invest in a long term solution to address widening skills gaps in the face of fast technological advancement. Next year will be a critical one for L&D teams to ensure they have the right infrastructure, partners, and plan to set their organizations up for success.

As I mentioned earlier, the key to this effort will be to cultivate an organization-wide culture of learning. The good news is that employees want to grow. According to PwC, 74% of workers are ready to learn new skills or re-train. The youngest workers are the most eager. According to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index, 76% of Gen Z workers want more opportunities to learn/practice new skills or expertise (compared to 55% of millennials and 48% of Gen X).

Employee-centric learning programs will not only equip organizations with the right toolset to remain at the forefront of innovation, but they’ll also be central to attracting and retaining talent. And with labor market constraints tightening, replacing workers is going to get particularly difficult. From a recruitment perspective, learning opportunities are a huge draw, especially for young talent that’s focused on career progression.

2024 is an inflection point

2023 might have felt like it was a year of great change, but the reality is that it was merely the beginning of finding new ways to work effectively with our developing digital ecosystem. As we look ahead to 2024, we must ready ourselves for even more transformation, and we need to be adequately prepared to operate in a world that is only picking up speed.

The next year is a true inflection point for L&D organizations — one in which L&D is set to become central to building a future that equips organizations with the right skills to remain adaptable, innovative, and successful.

Chris Duchesne is the General Manager of Springboard for Business.