For organizations trying to prepare for the future, talent development (TD) professionals play a key role in assessing the skills employees need now and in the future.
Rocki Basel, Ph.D.
Director of Research at the Association for Talent Development (ATD)
Nearly 90 percent of TD professionals anticipate a TD skills gap in future readiness, which is defined as “intellectual curiosity and constant scanning of the environment to stay abreast of forces shaping the business world, employees and their expectations, and the talent development profession.”
According to an Association for Talent Development (ATD) Bridging the TD Skills Gap research report, “TD professionals must anticipate future skills gaps in professional, organizational, and personal domains in the next five years.” “Some of those skills include evaluating the impact of development programs, data and analytics, technology, and collaboration and leadership.”
Knowledge drives development
ATD, with the help of more than 3,000 TD professionals, created the Talent Development Capability Model™, a guide for what TD practitioners need to know and do to develop themselves, others, and their organizations. It includes 23 capabilities needed for success.
ATD professional with capability in future readiness will need knowledge of:
- Internal and external factors that influence talent development (for example, organizational and business strategies, availability of labor, developments in other industries, societal trends, and technological advances)
- Techniques to promote, support, or generate innovation and creativity (for example, design thinking, brainstorming, and ideation)
- Emerging learning technologies and support systems (for example, collaborative learning software, learning management systems, authoring tools, and social media)
- Information-seeking strategies and techniques
AI literacy is key to an evolving workplace
Most TD professionals foresee changes in technology affecting the TD function to a high or very high extent in the next five years, and more than half expect to need a higher level of competency in AI and big data analytics.
AI is rapidly transforming the workplace, and organizations are making significant investments in technology. While 62 percent of TD professionals say AI helps employees become more efficient in their work, only 36 percent of TD professionals believe that employees understand AI concepts and definitions.
TD professionals are using AI tools to summarize documents, write or edit emails, create content, and translate content into different languages. A new ATD report finds that 37 percent of instructional designers say AI tools have greatly reduced the amount of time it takes to design a course and 70 percent say it improves the quality of their course design.
Organizations can begin to address a future skills gap in talent development professionals by:
- Determining where the skills gaps are
- Conducting a needs assessment of the TD function
- Exploring ways to incorporate stretch assignments, coaching, and mentoring into your TD function
- Playing around with generative AI — even if it’s at the rudimentary level
It is crucial that TD professionals assess the organization’s AI literacy, use, and policies. This can define the training that is needed for employees and help TD professionals identify their own AI skills gaps.
