Denis Opudo
Many corporations in the US have in the recent past announced the overhaul of their activities. AT&T takes it as a reinvention by giving the whole business a new look. Visa on the other side tries to keep off any sort of disruption by taking market shares in the digital scenes and embracing new technologies. HP Inc. sees it as the best opportunity of building a new identity after a split in the corporate. T-Mobile and Qualcomm are also joining the trend. All this are in line with the steps taken by a remote village in South Africa.
Mabarhule village in South Africa runs short of well-laid education structures. One cannot get enough required books for any field. However, there is something positive that is taking place in that village. Electricity got in the Mabarhule village a few years back. Moreover, education and the use of smartphones were also getting into the area. People were acquiring knowledge by watching different videos and reading every topic.
At times they were learning about what brings practical value that showed them how to do their job and improve infrastructure through better ways. Mobile technology was in a position to bring education into the area that was ignored for quite long. The only challenge was the lack of a central hub. There was lack of an online place that they could use to learn about various issues that could help them in the job market.
Many institutions have offered the so-called shallow education. People get out of universities with degrees but run short of workplace skills. Traditional universities are not in a position to offer a solution to this problems. They can be pushed to offer practical classes but this will not solve the main problem. At first, the type of education offered in those universities cannot reach everybody. Days, when learners used to sit in a class and listen to the lecturer, are outdated. People need to use their phones to get skills at their convenient time. The modern day businesses are in a position to solve this problem. They only need to develop a central hub which allows and motivates workers to have an online learning. Companies can help employees get skills that will improve their skills as well as the growth of the business.
Many institutes in the United States are still using the traditional ways of equipping individuals with skills. They deploy the top-down structure. This is where the top executive picks and approve given causes. The causes are then taught by either teacher in classrooms or online through Learning Management Systems. This approach comes with many problems, depending on the classroom is currently outdated. LMS is not adequate enough to serve the desired purpose hence affecting businesses. The moment the executive will come to discover new technologies like 3D, many startups founded by younger employees will have already been designed around such technologies. They will either be replacing or disrupting the traditional corporations.
The main solution to this is to open up central hubs to the employees. This gives them a chance to decide to learn on their area of interest. Employees can add courses, videos, and many online materials. They can as well come up with their personal content. Many workers more so millennial leans on learning new emerging skills that they think will be needed in their marketplace. Giving employees a chance to learn what they want develops an agile workforce. The workforce that can link with any type of technology and changes that comes with digital transformation. According to PwC, 86% of businesses are in a position to respond positively to changes once programs that increase agility are put in place.
