The rise of AI is forcing Big Four companies to rethink how work and workers are defined. Generalist consultants are leaving, and in comes technical skills and deep industry expertise.
PwC has launched what it calls the Learning Collective, a new workplace training initiative designed for the realities of the AI era.
This is a broader rethinking of how learning happens within one of the world’s largest professional services firms.
“Skills, not titles, are the currency of the new era,” the company said in a press release.
The line was reminiscent of news in January, first reported by Business Insider, that fellow Big Four firm Deloitte was overhauling all professional roles. Starting June 1, simple, traditional job titles such as “consultant” and “associate” will be replaced with more specific descriptions that better reflect the work Deloitte performs for clients.
“We’re not changing our title,” Yolanda Shields-Coffield, chief people and inclusion officer at PwC US, told Business Insider in an interview.
Still, PwC’s approach to talent reflects changes in the industry. The “skills, not titles” ethos means that as employees apply for projects, move within an organization and advance their careers, it’s their portfolio of skills, not their job title, that sets them apart, Shields-Coffield said.
Focus on 30 important skills
PwC has introduced three main learning tracks in the Learning Collective. The first is a company-wide focus on 30 key skills, 15 of which are AI-centric and 15 human-centric, both of which are “critically important” to PwC’s success, Shields-Coffield told Business Insider.
“We’re not necessarily asking people to learn all 30 skills in one year,” says Shields-Coffield. Different levels will focus on different skills, but taken together they represent what PwC believes will be most important as AI reshapes client operations, she added.
The human-centered aspect includes applying critical thinking to evaluate AI-generated output and using empathy to understand client dynamics.
Technical skills include AI fluency and AI simulation. Shields-Coffield explained that AI simulates the work currently being completed to ensure staff understand the why and how of the work being done.
PwC is not changing job titles like its rival Deloitte, the company’s U.S. market leader and inclusion officer told Business Insider. Jack Taylor/Getty Images
The company said it’s not just teaching people about agents, it’s using them in the learning process.
Shields-Coffield said she recently saw a demo this week where agents were given feedback on their presentation skills. It was “pretty brutal, but in a very good way.”
The agent told her: “You’re still not addressing profitability issues. You’re not even specific about ROI. That sounds a little generic. And I just thought, ‘Well, that was a little harsh.’
But the candid feedback helped it reconsider how it presented certain details, Shields-Coffield said, adding that PwC is looking for agents who “really provide specific, important coaching.”
Promote attracting engineering talent
Learning Collective is introducing a new program for two groups keenly feeling the impact of AI: engineers and young workers.
PwC has launched a new technology engineering career track that aims to move away from traditional roles associated with the Big Four and attract and recruit more technology talent.
The company hopes to become a “destination for top engineering talent,” the press release said.
For younger employees, PwC has launched the Associate Discovery program, an initiative that exposes new employees to AI from day one. At PwC, we want our employees to have experience building agents, working with AI, and developing the human skills needed to leverage those tools before taking on their first big role.
The company has also reduced the number of offices where consulting employees can start their careers from about 60 to 13, Shields-Coffield said.
Fostering collaboration in an AI world
Training and development has always been important at Big Four consulting and accounting firms. Many young graduates join us with the aim of enhancing their business skills.
But the isolation caused by COVID-19, combined with the changing nature of work due to AI, has undermined some of PwC’s sense of connectedness to learning and development, especially for younger employees, Shields-Coffield said.
Learning Collective aims to change this by encouraging learning beyond the course, such as bringing team members to meetings and having teams discuss what they learned that week.
“They’re going to find that we’re increasingly asking them to participate in these learning experiences with their intact team,” Shields-Coffield said.
“The goal of this experience is for employees to spend more time together, learning and growing in an intentional way,” she added.
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