“We must be promoters of change and embrace technology as a facilitator toward what’s next”

elEconomista hosted the business day Professionals of the Future: Sectors and Key Profiles, where those who attended agreed on the importance of supporting professional retraining and learning new skills in order to preserve employability. “We have to constantly retrain ourselves”, stated Pablo Rivas, CEO and founder of Global Alumni.

In an era like the one we are in now, marked by the pace of unprecedented technological development, upskilling, in other words learning new skills, is now more necessary than ever before. And for Rivas, this is the great challenge: “It’s a brutal paradigm shift. We have to train five generations from five different decades.” As such, opinions have been unanimous in pointing out that technology must be put at the service of people to maximize their employability. “It must become a part of our lives”, concluded Rivas in reference to lifelong learning.

The fourth industrial revolution is more disruptive than the previous three as its impact will reach the whole of society and all job roles. Participants insisted on the importance for businesses to embrace this reality in good faith, during uncertain times. Pablo Rivas believes that companies have to be “promoters of change and embrace technology” as a tool towards what’s next. “Let’s join that wave”, he concluded.

The event took place at the Westin Palace hotel in Madrid. The event began with a few words from the president of the CRUE (Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities), José Carlos Gómez. Afterwards, Noelia García, the moderator of the colloquium, introduced the guests. Among these were: Pablo Rivas, CEO at Global Alumni; Luisa Izquierdo, from Microsoft; Luis Miguel Oliva Torres, from Telefónica; Luisa Martínez, from Vithas group; Carlos Lastra, from Les Roches Marbella; and Nuria Herrera, from Michelin.

 

Click here to read the full story and see a summary of the event (ES)