As artificial intelligence (AII) pervades the workforce, reskilling workers has become an economic imperative. According to skill-building strategist Sagar Goel during his recent TED talk: “One in every three workers globally will find their jobs significantly impacted due to technology in this decade.” Rather than succumbing to fear and skepticism, Goel advocates replacing those mindsets “with curiosity and optimism.”

Goel draws inspiration from his experience partnering with the Singapore government on “Rise” — a program that reskilled thousands from declining roles into new fields like data science and digital marketing. Despite applicants having been out of school for over 20 years, over 80% found new jobs after the intensive, 6-month reskilling curriculum.

The key was building both technical skills and mindsets prepared for career transitions.

“Right from the first week, we focused not just on building their skill set, but building their mindset and building their confidence in their ability to reskill and make a career pivot happen,” Goel explained. Practical application was crucial too, inviting companies “to host hackathons” where learners could “put their skills in action on real projects.”

One professional client was amazed at the quality of their work, telling learners “This is like professional consulting work.” For Goel, seeing learners defy expectations and secure new roles was incredibly fulfilling: “Every time somebody from our program found a job, we felt like proud parents. Such bliss, I tell you.”

Beyond stressing Singapore’s pioneering national reskilling efforts, Goel underlined the role employees and individuals must play, learning continuously. He’s instilling this mindset in his 6-year-old son, funding a “learning bank” piggy bank to pay for courses “to learn new skills.” Embracing reskilling with “curiosity and optimism” is vital for adapting to the AI-driven job evolution.

Featured image: Credit: TED