Sponge

Embracing a Skills-Based Future

Bristol (UK), June 2024 - Lori Niles-Hofmann is co-founder of NilesNolen and a renowned learning strategist. In a recent episode of The Unforgettable Learning Podcast, she, Kate Pasterfield, Learning Strategy Consultant at Sponge, and Josh Cardoz, Chief Creative and Learning Office at Sponge, discussed the emerging role of the Chief Skills Officer, how leadership can enable continuous learning, and why skills might be the best way to prepare for the future of your learning organisation.

As organisations grapple with the accelerating pace of change, L&D leaders face a remarkable challenge: building a nimble, data-informed learning culture that can keep skills and capabilities aligned with evolving business needs. In this podcast, Lori Niles-Hofmann, provided her analysis of the evolving role of skills in the workplace.

Lori made a compelling case for why organisations must evolve from rigid job roles to become "skills-based", fluidly assembling teams by matching people's skills to dynamic project requirements.  The discussion covered the emerging role of the Chief Skills Officer: as strategic skill scouts and curators, CSOs look for upcoming capability gaps and own their organisations's ability to upskill their workforce proactively.

To meet this change head on, Lori discussed building the right type of learning culture - one in which leadership provides time, psychological safety, and dedicated "learning spaces" for employees to build new skills through applied practice. With candor and expertise, she outlined concrete strategies for shifting workplace mindsets around learning.

For L&D innovators exploring what's next for their organisations, this episode offered a thought-provoking vision for the direction learning is headed and put forward some key points to consider when preparing for a skills-based future.