New world. New skills. | Hong Kong Digital Page

PwC China invests in digital upskilling over 17,000 of its people for the future world of work

US$3bn investment in upskilling PwC people, and developing and sharing technologies to support clients and communities

Hong Kong, 15 October 2019 - Over the next four years, the PwC global network is committing US$3bn in upskilling, including training our people and also developing and sharing technologies to support clients and communities in its digital upskilling programme, ‘New world. New skills.’ PwC China’s programme is seeing the digital upskilling of over 17,000 of our people systematically. In order to ensure our people understand how technology will change the future and how it can benefit them, PwC China is fully committed to developing our people’s digital skills.

“A major problem in society today is a growing need to address the skills gap created by automation and a lack of qualified talent. We are determined to provide a multi-platform programme designed to digitally upskill our people,” said Raymund Chao, PwC Asia Pacific and China Chairman. He continued, “We want to empower our people with the right mindset and capabilities in data and automation so that we can play a part in shaping the profession of the future with our clients, government agencies and communities, helping to close the skills gap in today’s digital world with new skills and getting ready for the new world.”

It’s become increasingly apparent that one of the world’s most pressing challenges – and one faced by business – is the growing mismatch between the skills people have and those needed for the digital world. There is an urgent need for organisations, governments and educators to come together to fix this growing problem and business has an important role to play.

“Upskilling is about creating a culture of continuous learning and curiosity. The programme in China is tailored to local culture and customised to solve important problems for our people, our clients and the communities locally in line with PwC’s upskilling commitment across the network,” said Raymund Chao.

PwC China’s programme is seeing the digital upskilling of over 17,000 of our people systematically through:

• Curated PwC China’s localised upskilling programme focusing on data visualisation, data analytics and automation
• Enabling continuous self-learning outside of the classroom easy-to-access internal e-learning platforms and materials
• Enabling digital assets sharing platform, which drive citizen led innovation and culture
• Investing in tech workforce by hiring people with programming and product development skills to work in our Digital Products

Globally, ‘New world. New skills.’ focuses on four key areas:

• Upskilling all of PwC’s 276,000 people. We will roll out different programmes that meet their particular needs, from skills academies to digital fitness apps to leadership development. A proportion of our workforce will develop specialist skills in areas including data analytics, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence for use in their work. For others, it’s about understanding the potential of new technologies so they can advise clients, communities, and other stakeholders.
• We are also advising our clients on the challenges posed by rapid technological change and automation. This includes identifying skills gaps and mismatches against likely future needs, workforce planning, upskilling programmes and cultural change.
• We will work with governments and institutions to reach a much broader group of people. For example, PwC in Luxembourg helped develop the Luxembourg Skills Bridge which brings together trade unions, associations and businesses to build digital industries and develop digital skills, including among those populations most ‘at risk’.
• We will help millions of people improve their skills and knowledge for the digital world by making upskilling a focus of our not-for-profit initiatives. This includes working with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), students and teachers, which will help ensure opportunities are more evenly spread and we reach people who may otherwise be left behind. Learn more about PwC’s ‘New world. New skills.’