A task force of the G20 research and policy advice network, Think20, has identified artificial intelligence (AI) based learning technologies as the recommended approach to overcoming current educational challenges and ensuring existing and future employees are prepared to be a member of the workforce of today and tomorrow. Task Force 6 (TF6) identified various AI-learning modes to bridge the skill gap and begin to reskill and upskill.

T20 research highlights not only the transition from education to employment that must be reformed but also that the skills of those already within employment that no longer meet evolving market requirements.

Save today, secure tomorrow

Recommendations laid out within twelve research-based T20 Policy Briefs outline how G20 member countries can address their individual challenges to ensure economies can recover and achieve sustained growth, as the increased use of AI changes the employment landscape in the digital age.

TF6 outlines four key recommendations G20 member countries can adopt to utilize AI-based learning, including embracing and regulating industry micro-credentials; government funding for workplace learning in traditional sectors and those working within the platform and gig economies; the promotion of immersive, interactive AI for skills development as a learning aid and not in replacement of teachers; and the promotion of innovative technical and vocational education training (TVET) institutions with the backing of quality control and licensing bodies.

To sustain economic growth

COVID-19 has accelerated those issues that were already prevalent, revealing the varying skill gaps across all generations. The older, missing generation of over 35’s would traditionally gain skills in one specialty area, with many people remaining on the same career path for life.

When discussing the immediate need for reforms, Heidi Alaskary, visiting senior research fellow, KFCRIS, and lead co-chair of TF6, said that the policies TF6 has chosen to focus on will have a direct impact on how we, as an international community, shape our immediate future.

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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates global unemployment rates in May stood at 8.4 percent and could reach 9.4 percent by the end of 2020 as a result of COVID-19. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the virus could cause the equivalent of 195 million job losses.

Pre-COVID-19, the fourth industrial revolution was already rebalancing employment away from repetitive manual work, in favor of automated, AI-supported roles. Examples of this include robots replacing hospital porters, self-checkout systems in supermarkets and the high street, and online delivery reducing the demand for shop assistants, ultimately resulting in job losses.

T20 predicts those economies heavily reliant on traditional service industries, such as retail and wholesale, food and accommodation, business services and administration, and manufacturing, which together add up to 37.5 percent of global employment, will be most negatively impacted.

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From school closures to isolation, to a persistent sense of fear and anxiety, the effects of this pandemic are impacting childhoods worldwide. To dwarf the situation, UNICEF and Microsoft Corp. united for the expansion of a global learning platform to help children and youth affected by COVID-19 continue their education at home. The Learning Passport is designed to provide education for displaced and refugee children through a country-level curriculum for children and youth whose schools have been forced to close due to COVID-19. The platform promises key resources to teachers and educators.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “We need to come together and explore every avenue to keep children learning and help them through this difficult time.”

With long-term partners like Microsoft, UNICEF is able to swiftly deploy innovative, scalable solutions for children and youth. The adaptations made to the platform are a powerful reminder of what can be achieved together for children as the crisis deepens globally.

No border solutions for no border COVID-19’s impact

UNESCO reported, 1.57 billion students have been affected by school closures in more than 190 countries worldwide. The Learning Platform has been in development for the past 18 months due to start as a pilot program this year. Now due to the global pandemic hit and schools were closed worldwide, the program underwent a rapid expansion of its reach. Now all countries with a curriculum capable of being taught online will be able to facilitate online learning for children and youth with devices at home.

Students continuing their education online can do so through a country-specific platform, accessed via their country’s learning passport.unicef.org page. The platform provides a digitized curriculum with textbooks and a selection of supplemental content, in country-wise national languages, that is jointly curated at the country-level to best serve learners’ and educators’ specific needs.

The platform “Learning Passport” is part of the Generation Unlimited Global Breakthrough on Remote Learning and Work that aims to use technology to address challenges faced by learners, facilitators, and education providers, particularly in conflict-affected and humanitarian contexts.

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