When the CEO held a virtual town hall in 2020 and said there needed to be layoffs, I knew I would be one of the first to go because I served zero purpose at that point.
Recent data from The TalentLMS 2026 L&D Benchmark Report reveals a 19-point perception gap on AI learning support. 83% of HR leaders believe they actively support AI learning, but only 64% of employees agree. This extremely polarized viewpoint raises an uncomfortable question: If leaders are this far off on AI skills support, what else might they be misreading about their teams' capabilities?
Recent research from the World Economic Forum shows that demand for digital skills, including AI, Big Data, and technology literacy, is growing faster than the global workforce can keep pace. This growing imbalance is widening the digital skills gap, leaving many business leaders unsure whether they have the right people, with the right skills, ready to perform at the speed their organizations need to compete and grow.
I was like, 'What do you mean, I can actually work and take some classes?' I didn't even know there were apprenticeships out there, because I thought it was something of the past. That was my dream-to go into some field of engineering-so it was great to find something like AT&T, which has an apprenticeship program where you can jump into it, which later becomes software engineering.
Young people are "experiencing higher education differently, and that is shaping much of what parents are saying," said Lammers. "[Parents] are reacting to the questions their children are asking and trying to find the best way to help them navigate the next steps."
