UK Telecoms Need a Human Touch to Bridge the AI Skills Gap
A new survey has revealed that companies in the UK from the technology and telecommunications sector must adopt more creative and engaging learning approaches to equip their workforces with the ‘human skills’ essential for the AI economy.
The research indicates that while industry leaders grasp the importance of these skills, pervasive challenges such as employee cynicism and workplace disruption could impede the necessary shifts in professional development.
The study, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of the learning and talent development company Hemsley Fraser, polled 238 UK business decision-makers from the technology and telecoms industry.
It reveals a critical tension: a clear understanding of AI’s potential balanced against significant human-centric obstacles that could hinder progress and performance.
Recognising the human imperative in an AI-driven world
The findings confirm that the telecoms sector views AI as a powerful tool. An overwhelming 91% of respondents state that AI is valuable to their organisation.
However, a majority (58%) agree that distinctly human skills, such as critical thinking, complex problem-solving and innovation, remain essential for navigating the AI-driven landscape.
The results align with broader global studies showing an urgent need for employers to prioritise the cultivation of human capabilities alongside technological implementation.
The challenge for today’s organisations lies in fostering these skills amidst a backdrop of constant change, including frequent workplace reorganisations and the ongoing digitisation of business processes.
AI itself is actively recasting existing workflows and team interactions, adding another layer of complexity to the learning and development agenda.
Workforce fatigue and cynicism as barriers to progress
A significant obstacle to achieving the necessary skills shift is the current state of the workforce. The survey highlights that nearly one-third (32%) of IT and telecoms professionals feel tired, isolated and less effective in their roles due to constant organisational change.
The figures are comparable to those in the financial sector (34%) and manufacturing (35%), suggesting a widespread issue of change fatigue across key UK industries.
Employee cynicism over new workplace initiatives and general anxiety surrounding AI’s impact on job roles emerge as potential roadblocks.
For learning and development strategies to succeed, they must first overcome a sense of disengagement felt by a considerable portion of the employee base.
Diverging approaches to upskilling and development
Diverging approaches to upskilling and development
When seeking inspiration for upskilling and performance improvement, professionals in the IT and telecoms sector demonstrate distinct habits.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, they predominantly turn to major technology firms, such as Google and AI tools like ChatGPT as their primary source of advice (34%).
The manufacturing and retail sectors show a similar, though less pronounced, tendency. In contrast, the financial services industry shows a preference for dedicated learning and development providers (22%) over tech giants (21%).
UK IT and telecoms firms are divided on the best path to boosting organisational performance. While 47% of respondents believe that improving employee skills is the most crucial approach, a substantial 39% maintain that a direct, outcomes-focused workforce performance strategy is the optimal way forward.
Forging a new path with creative learning strategies
Despite the challenges, the IT and telecoms industry shows a clear openness to innovative methods for upskilling its people.
The research found that 24% of the workforce achieves its best learning through a blend of online and in-person activities.
Nearly one in five (19%) see utilising AI tools like ChatGPT as the way forward for their own development, while 12% favour traditional on-the-job learning.
Addressing the findings, Lynsey Whitmarsh, CEO of Hemsley Fraser, says: “Human skills are crucial, not only for people to cope with new ways of working in the emerging AI era, but also ensuring that organisations maintain their sense of connectedness and the close team interactions needed to innovate and thrive.”
“However, with UK workers anxious and even disengaged after years of change and workplace reorganisations, there are questions over their people’s motivation to acquire new capabilities.”
Lynsey believes that a simple content-driven approach won't be sufficient going forward.
“Given the lack of consensus over where and who to go to, to embed human and social-creative skills into their job, UK business leaders can’t rely on flooding learning platforms with content as a catch-all approach.
"Instead, employers will need highly creative and engaging learning options, enabled by technology, if they are to change their people’s behaviours and motivate every one of their employees to learn effectively at work and thrive in their future role.”
