Is Your Team Ready With the Skills Your Business Needs to Thrive

Is Your Team Ready With the Skills Your Business Needs to Thrive

The World Economic Forum's latest report, "Organizational Transformation in the Age of AI", makes one thing clear that AI is changing the way we work and live. The real question now is whether our organisations are seeing the world as it is and investing in the people who will make that change work in their favour.

We work with businesses every day here at Rendstaff who are thinking about their growth and performance and how to get the best from their teams. The findings in this report speak directly to what we see daily and they make a compelling case for why investing in learning and development, including apprenticeship programmes is a strategic imperative.

The Skills Landscape Has Shifted

Data tracking over 100 million job postings across more than 100 countries reveals something striking, that the traditional divide between "technical jobs" and "people jobs" is collapsing. Roles are increasingly requiring a roughly equal split of technical and human capabilities according to the World Economic Forum report.  That could mean that the employee who excelled at their job two years ago may be working with an outdated toolkit today.

This report and other data we are tracking suggests that the longevity of technical skills is shortening, meaning workers, employers and training systems must continuously adapt. The evidence shown in the report is that workforce readiness is lagging which for employers is a risk and an opportunity.

Learning Is No Longer Optional, it is an Operational Investment

in our experience employees are increasingly recognising that continuous learning is part of their role. In return, they expect clarity on which skills matter, access to relevant learning and real opportunities to apply those skills in the workplace also cited by the World Economic Forum in January.

If your business is not providing that clarity and learning pathways, your valued people may stagnate or look for roles elsewhere. The organisations pulling ahead are those treating learning and development as an investment, an innovation and an ongoing part of how work gets done to complement rather than replace people.

Apprenticeships and Structured Learning: A Smarter Path Forward

One of the most actionable insights from the WEF report is the importance of building clear, structured entry routes into skilled roles. 

Apprenticeships programmes are an increasingly powerful way for businesses to grow capability from within and do this.  A way of developing team members in the specific skills your organisation actually needs, while they contribute productively from day one. They also send a powerful message to your teams that you are investing in them.

The Business Case Is Clear

Organisations that invest in workforce development are 1.8 times more likely to report better financial results. World Economic Forum.

More investment in reskilling and upskilling could boost GDP by $6.5 trillion by 2030. World Economic Forum The macro picture reflects what plays out at company level too, that businesses that build learning into their culture grow faster and become more resilient.

Where to Start

First thing is that you do not need a huge L&D budget to begin. You do need a some sense of which skills your business will need in the next two to three years and a commitment to helping your people develop them.

We always encourage employers to ask: what does my team need to know to help this business grow? Where are the gaps? 

This is the type of conversation we love having with employers at Rendstaff, helping with the right advice even when you are just starting to think about skills you need to invest in.

This post is written with reference to the World Economic Forum's report, "Organizational Transformation in the Age of AI: How Organizations Maximize AI's Potential" published on 16th March 2026. We would encourage any of you who want to explore the findings in full to read the report here.