The Head, Innovation and Sustainability at Honeywell Group, Tomi Otudeko, has stressed the importance of training and re-training for organisations to be competitive in today’s digital transformation era.
Otudeko, who spoke at a panel session during the recently held Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) Employment Summit in Lagos, said: “The best way of ensuring that the workforce of an organisation does not become redundant in the advent of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), is for organisations to adequately train its staff for the changes to come.”
While speaking on the theme: “Jobs for the Future- Leveraging Technology for Job Creation”, she said technology presents new opportunities and also leads to new ways of doing existing jobs.
She said: “Our processes are increasingly automated and this has led to a change in the expectation from our millers. Our milling staff are continuously being trained and have adapted to these changes, working seamlessly with processes that are driven by technology.
“Today’s leading organisations are deploying solutions that will automate their business, reduce turnaround time and make business delivery consistent. The workforce needs to be willing to learn and be innovative in their value addition to their organisations. Embracing technology gives room for people to learn new skills.”
Participants at the session agreed that there was need for a change in our education system to ensure it provides the requisite skills, both technology and soft skills, needed by the next generation. They were of the view that organisations also need to change their business models so as to stay competitive for the future as skills are evolving at an accelerated rate.
Other panelists at the session included, Country Manager, Tek Expert, Lars Johannisson; Partner, Experience Centre and Emerging Technologies at Price Waterhouse Copper (PwC), Olufemi Osinubi; and Managing Director, Future Software Resources Limited, Nkem Begho.
