During the fifth anniversary of the creation of the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN), of which Fundacion Telefonica is a member, experts have stated that people must increase their learning and adaptation capacity in an already digital labour environment.

“We will not even have a generation to spare for adaptation”, said José María Sanz-Magallón, general director of Fundación Telefónica, who believes that adaptation to new working environments “demand a special skills and agility for quick changes”. Workers will reinvent themselves at least 7 times during their working lives.

Laura Fähndrich, project director at GAN, has pointed out that, in order to solve the problem of youth unemployment, learning is key. “In some countries, learning and dual training still do not exist”, she stated, prior claiming that apprenticeships and all kind of transition strategies are necessary for getting a job.

Ana Millán, director of Fundación Accenture said that “every pre-working experience has a key relevance” when it comes to soft skills, such as oral, written and virtual communication, abilities that every candidate must develop.

The director of Talent Acquisition for Western Europe at Microsoft, Blanca Gómez, said there are three trends in the world of work: globalization, digitalization and an increased life expectancy. “As we live longer, we will have to start to work until we turn seventy, or even eighty years old”. In addition, “transitions” will become more and more frequent.

Furthermore, the expert highlighted that “nowadays, we have more “disloyal” payrolls in the technology industry than in any other sector”, and the business world “must focus on promoting purpose, values and a social dimension, having the best among their employees”.

The Global Leader of Talent and Resourcing at Telefónica, Flourie Saulnier, said that, in her opinion, the necessary skills for the future of work are: learning, using past experiences in new situations; digital transformation; and openness to new technologies. “A digital profile is a combination of soft skills and technical skills, enhanced by mentoring, coaching and continuous learning”, she concluded.