schoolofdisruption.com
Rob van Alphen
Skills of
the Future

“Any company
designed for success
in the 20th century...
...is doomed to
failure in the 21st.”
— Investor David Rose

Mega trends impacting the #FutureofWork
Aging population
100-year life
Millennials / Gen Z
Power shifts
Developed vs Developing
Hyperconnected markets
Move to cities
Digital Nomads
Gig economy
Exponential growth of data
Smarter algorithms
Faster processing speeds
Demographic
shifts
Economics Urbanization
Technology
breakthroughs

Exponential technologies
have emerged…3D Printing
Artificial
Intelligence
Blockchain Digital Biology
AR/VR
DronesAutonomous VehiclesRobotics

… enabling disruption across industries
MANUFACTURING > Robotics
HEALTHCARE > Digital biology
FINANCE > Blockchain
CONSTRUCTION > 3D printing
EDUCATION > Brain-Computer Interfaces
TRANSPORTATION > Autonomous Vehicles

The forces driving this
1. DIGITIZATION

Early 90s office desk…

NASA Apollo vs. iPhone
https://www.zmescience.com/research/technology/smartphone-power-compared-to-apollo-432
YOUR IPHONE IS 120
MILLION TIMES FASTER
THAN ALL OF NASA’S
COMPUTERS USED FOR
THE MOON LANDING.
size cost
$3.5M

Hacking humans?

The forces driving this
2. DEMONETIZATION

Technology is becoming FASTER & CHEAPER
3D Printing
Industrial robots
Drones
2007: $40,000
2017: $100
400x price drop
2007: $500,000
2017: $20,000
25x price drop
2007: $100,000
2017: <$100
1,000x price drop
LIDAR Sensors
Solar
Biotech (1 DNA profile)
2007: $20,000
2017: $200
100x price drop
1987: $30 per KwH
2017: $0,015 per KwH
2,000x price drop
2003: $2,700,000,000
2007: $10,000,000
2017: <$100
100,000x price drop

The forces driving this
3. DEMOCRATIZATION

0.8
billion
Internet users in Asia
2010
1.3
billion
2013
?
billion
2022
2.1
billion
2018
Source: Statista.com

Quantum computing as a service (QaaS)
445 petaflops computing power
445 million billion calculations per second
In an early test, a genomics team solved a problem
in 1 hour that would take 30 years on a PC.

Major organizational shifts to accommodate
NEED TO
UPSKILL/RESKILL
CHANGING NATURE
OF JOBS/CAREERS
LIQUID
WORKFORCE

Changing nature of a career
Source: Heather McGowan, inspired by Dick Bolles and Bismarck
ExpertiseAgility

"The robots are coming, we’re doomed!"
"The robots are coming, we’re saved!"

What the experts say… 🤔
1,800,000
2020 (Gartner)
75,000,000
2022 (WEF)
1,000,000,000
2022 (Thomas Frey)
20,000,000
2030 (Oxford Economics)
800,000,000
2030 (McKinsey)

Jobs at risk
HIGH ROUTINE
LOW SOFT SKILLS
PHYSICAL & COGNITIVE
Accountants
Paralegals
Business analysts
Call centers
Fast food restaurants
Professional drivers

Jobs on the rise
NON-ROUTINE
HIGH COLLABORATION
AI/ML engineers
Data scientists
Cybersecurity experts
Health workers
Home care
Creative/Marketing

Only 5% of jobs are
at risk of being fully
replaced.
Majority of jobs to
be amplified by AI.
Source: McKinsey, A Future That Works

120 million
workers from the world’s 12
largest economies need
reskilling in the next 3 years.
10x more time
to close the skills gap
compared to 4 years ago due
to new skill requirements.
Source: IBM, The Enterprise Guide to Closing the Skills Gap

Core skills of the future2022 Skills Outlook

“Core skills”
Problem-solving
Leadership
creativity, critical thinking,
collaboration, communication, …
vision, empathy, people mgmt,
growth mindset, adaptability, ...

Learning is the new oil

The illiterate of the 21st century
Ø "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who
cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn,
unlearn and relearn." — Alvin Toffler

But there’s a problem…

< 100 years ago
Today >
Difference: Color camera

Digital learning needs multi-modal training delivery
Blended
Modular
‘Stackable’
Partners
Tech = platform

Immersive, truly personalized learning experiences
… build on data
Ø Experience level
Ø Current skills
Ø Job role
Ø Career aspiration

3
5
AI to highlight ‘jobs to be done’ as career opportunities depending on current skillset & aspirations
EXAMPLE: Personal Development
Book supports and advises
John on personal / career
development.
John fully owns his
personal development with
the support of an AI coach.
TODAY TOMORROW
Book supports in critical
situations only.
Virtual Assistant supporting career development.

Image: Microsoft HoloLens x Volvo Cars
work, workplace, workforce
Augmented

Technology will become the commodity.
The human interface will be the differentiator.
Dual transformation

Define your Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP)
ü In 10 years, what would you wish you had done today?
ü If you were successful, how would you know?

Becoming a Learning Organization
ü Understand the big picture and develop a sense of urgency
ü Define your Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP)
ü Develop a skills inventory and map gaps
ü Develop personalized skill development plans at scale
ü Promote a culture of exponential learning
ü Leverage the ecosystem (no longer DIY)

“In the long run, the only sustainable competitive advantage is
your organization’s ability to learn faster than the competition.”

Rob van Alphen
Founder
rob@schoolofdisruption.comschoolofdisruption.com