About 2023, predictions for 2024 and digital transformation

2023 was a year in which we grew beyond expectations. We have collaborated and developed learning experiences for clients from various branches (automotive, IT, telecommunications, banking, oil & gas) and diversified our portfolio of projects carried out with our partners (Atelierul de Șanse, made in collaboration with Orange Foundation and Atelierul Digital Programare, Google Summer Schools  and Software Engineering Career Program, made in conllaboration with Google). At the same time, we were able to focus on growing the team. And, we also managed to be more vocal in the public space. With friends from Hacking Work, we talked about Key Topics from the sphere of reskilling and upskilling in the IT industry. In total, 2023 gave us the opportunity to help over 1500 people acquire key skills relevant to the IT industry! And, we can't wait to see what 2024 has in store for us.

2024? Digital Transformation?

2024 will be about Digital Transformation, and knowledge in the field of Artificial Intelligence will be essential for those who want to stand out in the market. We have been preparing since 2023 with some curricula focused on Artificial Intelligence, but we will develop more. At the same time, we are constantly looking for new topics to translate into intensive learning programs. Here we are glad to have mentors who keep us abreast of the trends in the market. For example, in 2023 we also built curricula focused on soft skills — we noticed this need in the IT industry. These have been integrated into the projects developed together with Google and the Orange Romania Foundation. We were surprised how positive the feedback has been and we are already thinking about what more we can do in 2024.

We are sure that this year has prepared us many opportunities in which to integrate the fine curricula developed in 2023. But, and many opportunities to develop completely new learning programs.

Our Plans For 2024

We have a number of projects and actions that we are going to implement throughout 2024. But at the heart of all these initiatives are two wishes:

• to highlight the positive impact that the digital transformation process can have on organizations;
• to highlight the importance of adopting a transformational leadership style.

Next, we will consider the two ideas separately. We will briefly tell about them to make sure that we are on the same wavelength:

Digital Transformation: What Does It Involve And Why Will It Impact Organizations In 2024?

The name is quite explanatory. The digital transformation process involves the adoption by organizations of digital technologies with the aim of fundamentally changing the way they conduct their activities, interact with customers and manage their operations. So, it's not just a simple implementation of technology. It is a strategic change within the organization. It affects both organizational culture and the way employees, customers and partners interact with it. The process of digital transformation often involves the use of artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing, automation and other digital technologies to increase efficiency, innovation and adaptability in an ever-changing environment.

With the help of digital transformation, organizations can achieve significant benefits. These include optimizing operational processes, improving customer experience, accelerating data-driven decision making, and developing new business models. In essence, going through the digital transformation process represents a necessary evolution for organizations during this period, helping to increase competitiveness and adaptability in the face of technological change. Has your organization already started the digital transformation process? If not, let's see how we can help! And if you want to read more about the digital transformation process, we recommend this article from McKinsey.

About Transformational Leadership, An Essential Factor in the Digital Transformation Process

Transformational leadership is a leadership style that focuses on motivating team members, highlighting their strengths, and consistently supporting them to reach their potential. Such leaders work on the constant improvement of the organization of which they are part or that they lead. Both they and the teams they lead are in a constant process of learning and growing. They are defined by strong communication skills, clear vision and the ability to constantly motivate their people towards the achievement of their goals.

Imagine a leader who not only shares a clear vision for the future, but also challenges you intellectually, shows care for each individual on the team, and inspires you to push your personal boundaries and constantly improve. They will be able to keep up with the changes in the IT industry because they see both the need for their people to update their knowledge to keep up to date with the news in the IT industry, and their potential to reprofile themselves on an IT role. And they manage to prioritize their learning needs so as not to feel that they are lagging behind or that they cannot change their professional direction if they want to. Is this style of leadership used in your team (by you or your leader)? If you want to read more about Transformational Leadership, we recommend this article from the Harvard Business Review.

Adaptability, A Key Skill In 2024

Changes in the IT industry bring new opportunities. Naturally, they also come with new learning needs. Making contact with leaders from various industries over the 3 years of activity, we have noticed many situations where managers have failed to support their people with the right learning activities. At the same time, we also noticed a lack of vision in terms of keeping people in organizations. For example, if a role is automated, it does not mean that the employee has to leave the organization. They may have the opportunity to retrain for another role in the organization. The 2 situations (lack of suitable learning opportunities and lack of vision to keep people in the organization) can be avoided with the help of upskilling or reskilling learning experiences. It is important to note that:

• employees need support to keep abreast of new trends in their fields (upskilling);
• retraining an employee is more beneficial for the organization than hiring a new person (reskilling).

Another aspect that worries us has to do with the (somewhat obsessive) focus of many organizations on Artificial Intelligence. We do not deny that it is an important topic during this period. We have just built 4 curricula focused on Artificial Intelligence and we are going to build a few more. But from our observations, it seems that many leaders have decided to focus only on Artificial Intelligence. Thus, risking leaving aside other short-term or long-term goals relevant to their organizations.

Yes, the IT industry is coming with many changes in the coming period. But what do we think the challenges of this industry will be in 2024?

Looking at the evolution of the market, one of the biggest challenges in the IT industry we anticipate will be related to the training of people. Both the training of those who are entering the industry for the first time and updating the knowledge of those who have already been in the industry for years. IT specialists more than ever need support in the constant development of knowledge. If the industry evolves with the accelerator pedal pressed to the max, how can we expect IT professionals to be up to date with all the news in their niches without support from leaders in their organizations?

This will lead to the second big challenge that we foresee for 2024. Namely, the loss of valuable people in organizations due to a lack of vision in terms of learning opportunities. Organizations that develop their vision in the learning segment will have a major advantage in the market. People are looking for a place with opportunities for growth, where they can feel that they can constantly develop and evolve. We are not saying anything new here — this topic has been discussed and studied for years (e.g. this study made by TalentLMS and Vyond, about what employees in the R&D sector want in 2024). This article from Wharton's blog highlights key findings from several studies on the subject, including:

• 92% of employees believe that access to professional development is very important or important;
• Employees who benefit from professional development opportunities have a 34% higher retention rate.
• 49% of employees expect their employer to support their career growth.

What will we do to deal with the changes in the IT industry that will come throughout 2024?

One of our strengths is even adaptability. 2023 exceeded our expectations in terms of adaptability, so we can't wait to see what challenges 2024 presents us with. The fact that we work with mentors who are leaders in the IT industry and in their niches helps us to be constantly up to date with the news that we need to keep in mind. Our curricula are constantly adapted to be up to date with market demands. And this helps us provide valuable learning experiences.

We hope 2024 will also come with a change in the way technology is viewed in general. This can be of great help to organizations. But in many cases it is unclear that it is not about the technologies themselves, but about how they are used. And, we return to the importance that education has in the IT sector. Without people who know how to use the latest technologies, its benefits will not be visible. We hope that in 2024 we will be able to be more vocal on this topic and that we will see as many organizations as possible at least starting the process of digital transformation.

‍