The Future of Corporate Training in Data Science and Machine Learning: Trends & Predictions for 2023

The need for continuous learning and skill development in the workplace would still be recognizable to early humans, despite the vast changes in the world over time. In the past, corporate training has focused on teaching specific skills for static roles, rather than the more human-centered skills that have held us together for centuries. However, there is a growing recognition of the importance of abilities such as effective communication, empathy, and reframing challenges in the workplace.

Table of Contents

1. Information overload: The upsurge of quality learning resources

2. New Horizons of Work: Automation Reshaping the Job Markets

3. New Collar: A Solution to the Talent Shortage and Skills Gap

4. Textbooks out. Experiences in: The Rise of Contextual Learning

5. Work without Boundaries: All Integrating with One Digital Space

In the era of big data, companies that can extract insights and leverage them to make strategic decisions are the ones that will thrive. With data science and machine learning becoming increasingly essential in business operations, corporate training in these fields is critical for ensuring a competitive advantage.

To plan for the future, Data Scientists and Heads of L&D need to understand the current forces shaping the workplace and corporate training. As technologies evolve and trends shift, companies that can keep up with the latest advancements will have the upper hand. But what can we expect to see in the world of corporate training in 2023?

The latest trends and predictions for corporate training in data science and machine learning hold the answer to this!

Trends that will shape the Future of corporate training in 2023

The way people work is undergoing a significant transformation, Learning & Development (L&D) has the potential to make this change a positive one. However, many L&D programs are too focused on skills that are highly perishable under the heat of automation and fail to account for the big shifts occurring in the workplace. For instance, the rise of remote and gig work due to technological advancements and the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening social bonds among employees and making it difficult for L&D professionals to teach human-centered skills.

Moreover, some companies are questioning the necessity of a university degree as a prerequisite for the corporate job market, given the rising cost of education. In such a scenario, L&D leaders and Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) need to come up with trainings that prepare workers without degrees to succeed by avoiding talent shortage in the corporate world.

Advances in technology, such as augmented and virtual reality in corporate training, and artificial intelligence, are compressing years of real-world experiences into targeted, immersive virtual programs that allow employees to test their skills without the consequences of failure. However, L&D leaders need to find the right balance between in-person and virtual learning experiences.

If these issues are not addressed, it could worsen long-standing problems for L&D leaders, such as difficulty measuring ROI, shrinking budgets, and a lack of clarity and support from managers on learning goals. Therefore, L&D must adapt to these changes while bringing in the require corporate training in data science & machine learning to ensure a successful transition to the future of work.

Information overload: The upsurge of quality learning resources

In this digital age, we can access a vast amount of information instantly and virtually, transforming the way we acquire skills. Why bother memorizing when you can simply search on Google? There's less emphasis on rote learning of facts or mental math skills because machines such as computers and smartphones provide us with an endless supply of information that we can access anytime and anywhere.

Technology has revolutionized the way we learn, allowing us to learn in various situations and contexts. Learning content curation can now be delivered to employees via technology, making it contextual and timely. It also promotes mobility as employees can take courses from the comfort of their homes, during their commutes, or even on a beach.

On the other hand, with the increasing capabilities of AI and robots, the nature of work is changing rapidly. Our careers are no longer defined by what we know, but rather by our ability to adapt to the constant expansion of specialized machine intelligence. As a result, L&D leaders are required to focus on teaching employees how to adapt to these changes and acquire the necessary skills to succeed in the future.

Prediction: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards remote work, and tools like Zoom have made it easier than ever to build virtual networks. As remote work becomes the norm, employees will increasingly rely on digital learning content curation to develop their skills. To help employees find the most relevant learning resources, L&D leaders will have to take on the role of learning emcee. Only by curating and matching employees with the best training content, they can ensure that employees are constantly developing new skills. However, the challenge will lie in keeping up with the abundance of quality training resources available across different platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Coursera.

New Horizons of Work: Automation Reshaping the Job Markets

As automation and AI continue to advance, there is concern that many jobs may be lost, leaving humans out of the economy. However, humans are proving their resilience as work shifts to tasks that require human-centered skills such as collaboration, complex reasoning, empathy, resilience, and creativity. To ensure that these skills are nurtured, organizations are creating workspaces that encourage experimentation and interaction.

There are four potential effects that automation and AI could have on the future of work.

The first is large-scale job losses, which could result in a decrease in human participation, control, and discretion.

The second school of thought is that jobs will be augmented or supported by AI rather than replaced outright.

The third is that advances in technology will create far more jobs than those lost to automation, but employees will need new skills.

Finally, there are those who think that the potential of AI and automation as job destroyers is overblown.

All four effects are happening concurrently, with evidence of automation continuing and displacing workers in jobs that require rote, repetitive tasks. However, the type and volume of work that is being augmented rather than replaced outright is also growing. For example, call center employees are seeing more of their rote tasks taken over by machines, but the core skills required for the role are not being replaced. Rather, they are being augmented with software to help employees find information and prompt them with suggestions for action and learning.

Automation is also replacing some desk-based jobs while creating new ones that require both technical and human skills. However, there is often a significant overlap between these new roles and what used to be called entry-level or lower-skilled roles. In both desk-based and diskless jobs, there is increasing demand for employees who excel at uniquely human skills such as emotional intelligence, creativity, critical thinking, empathy, and inclusivity.

Prediction: As work evolves, L&D leaders will be adding a heavy emphasis on new primary skills in data science and machine learning for employees. This means that there will be a need to provide corporate training to employees in these human-centered skills, which will be crucial for innovation and for companies to keep thriving. Ultimately, it is important to recognize that while automation and AI may change the nature of work, humans will always play an essential role in the economy, and their uniquely human skills will be in demand.

New Collar: A Solution to the Talent Shortage and Skills Gap

In the past, the focus of the industrial economy was on improving efficiency and increasing production. This led to highly structured jobs that could be easily replaced with minimal disruption, and education was viewed as a system for filling specific roles that changed little over time. However, as work becomes more toward creativity and away from repetitive tasks, this mindset is changing. People need to continually acquire new knowledge and skills because the evolving nature of work requires it. Additionally, there is evidence that the engineering skills used in many jobs that require a university degree overlap heavily with jobs that don't. Therefore, there shouldn't be a paper barrier between lower- and higher-paying jobs that excludes talented workers who didn't attend university.

Continuing to make university degrees a requirement for corporate employment will lead to future talent shortage in the corporate world. Instead, the focus is shifting to direct training for people in the skills they need for their jobs.

Companies and governments are providing robust technical education and apprenticeships to find more employees. Tech companies, in particular, are creating courses designed for non-university-bound people to fill IT roles.

These new-collar employees are gaining access to promising careers that were once out of reach.

Prediction: The trend toward new-collar jobs will be making it easier to connect with a new pool of workers. Companies are going to gain access to a vast pool of potential employees who they previously would have overlooked. Indeed, larger organizations with more discretionary L&D budgets will have programs for new and entry-level hires that target underserved communities. However, in organizations where money is scarce, L&D executives will be facing pressure to create similar programs that stay within budget constraints. Luckily, at the same time, unlimited information and ubiquitous networks can make this work easier, and online certification programs might be created at a low cost and reach anyone with a computer connection.

Textbooks out. Experiences in: The Rise of Contextual Learning

The evolution of computer networks and the decreasing costs of experiential learning in corporate training are paving the way for powerful new learning models. Technologies such as AI-supported augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and high-fidelity simulation are transforming the way we learn data science and machine learning.

Several trends are making ubiquitous contextual and experiential learning feasible. Contextual learning in corporate training is becoming more prevalent, where learning occurs in the specific context of a work process, making it easier to remember and reinforce learning over time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in corporate training is key in targeting these interruptions, ensuring that learners are connected with content when it's most useful.

The environment where learning takes place is also critical. Immersive experiences in corporate training such as VR and AR simulations offer convincing alternatives to real-world situations, delivering a level of realism that's realistic enough to elicit the same reactions as would occur in real life. Although these environments are expensive and complex to create, they're justifiable in areas where they help avoid costly or disastrous real-world mistakes, such as in airline pilots and military training.

With the drop in network and information costs, technologies such as VR, AR, and gaming software are becoming critical tools for immersive experiential learning in corporate training at scale.

For example, Walmart uses a VR-based platform at nearly all of its 4,700 store locations to simulate important experiences for new store employees, and the results are impressive. Employees who take the VR training prefer it to classroom learning, and retention of training concepts is higher. Similarly, PepsiCo uses the virtual world of Minecraft for Lean Six Sigma training, which is engaging for learners and more effective than traditional classroom training.

Prediction: Although not all learning might happen virtually, the sophistication of virtual contextual learning in corporate training will continue to grow rapidly. With the twin drivers of dirt-cheap processing and exponential increases in computing power, the demand for better gaming experiences will be turbocharging development and adoption.

Work without Boundaries: All Integrating with One Digital Space

The boundaries between different aspects of our lives are becoming increasingly blurred as technology enables us to work, learn, play, and engage with family all within the same digital space. This shift is also driving a move towards decentralized, collaborative training models that enable everyone within an organization to contribute to and benefit from the personalized, on-demand learning content curation. However, this also presents a challenge for L&D executives, who need to ensure that the content is relevant and accurate and that employees are engaged with it.

The rise of remote and gig work is also transforming the way we work and learn, creating a need for new approaches to training and development that take into account the needs and interests of on-site employees who may not have access to the same opportunities as off-site employees. To address this, organizations are finding ways to foster connections between on-site and off-site teams and provide learning experiences that are valuable and relevant to both groups.

Prediction: The advances in digital corporate training tools are bound to enable organizations to democratize leadership development by providing personalized coaching and mentorship to individuals at all levels of the organization. This will have the potential to identify and develop leadership potential earlier in an employee's career and at a lower cost than traditional training methods. Only by embracing these changes and investing in innovative Learning and Development (L&D) programs, organizations will be able to stay ahead of the curve and ensure that their employees have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.

Corporate Training for Now and the Future

The future of corporate training in data science and machine learning is closely tied to the future of work, and as automation and AI continue to advance, the demand for such training will only increase. Besides, L&D professionals have a critical role to play in helping employees develop the skills they need to adapt to the evolving job landscape. As machines take over or augment human roles, the focus is shifting to what humans can do to maximize their unique abilities. However, offering traditional courses on collaboration and conflict resolution is not enough. Instead, L&D professionals need to incorporate learning cues into the right context for employees to learn quickly and effectively.

As work becomes more decentralized and skills become outdated faster than ever before, L&D professionals have the opportunity to develop an increasingly dispersed and contract-based workforce. Moreover, companies that integrate training for off-site employees with their in-house staff will see better ROI and attract more and better employees.

Although the challenges faced by L&D professionals are not going away, the trends we’ve discussed are changing the mission of L&D professionals, making their work more essential than ever before. L&D can help tie dispersed workforces together, creating a sense of shared experience and community in companies. The role of L&D professionals is crucial in making this once-in-generation change in the ways people work to change for the better.