BDO puts human skills alongside AI in first firmwide Learning Week
BDO puts human skills alongside AI in first firmwide Learning Week
Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has launched its first firmwide Learning Week, bringing together digital and human skills as part of its approach to continuous learning and development.
As AI and automation continues to reshape the workplace and evolve the skills people need, BDO is placing an emphasis on the importance of curiosity, accountability and adaptability in personal and professional development.
The week-long programme saw more than 1,100 people participate in-person across the business. In addition to the sessions held at BDO's London office, 16 regional workshops also took place. Bitesize digital content was available on BDO's internal social platform and watched over 18,000 times.
Across the week the activities challenged people to consider the skills they need as the workplace evolves. Sessions on storytelling, managing change, building connections and the importance of wellbeing sat alongside AI, digital and innovation-focused learning.
The programme comes at a time when employers across the UK are considering how to equip their workforces for greater use of AI, with the Government's AI Skills Boost programme having set ambitious targets to upskill 10 million UK workers in AI by 2030.
Louise Sayers, Head of People, Culture & Purpose at BDO, says:
“The world in which our people and clients operate is changing quickly. We can't know today every skill that will matter tomorrow. That makes the ability to stay curious, keep learning and adapt increasingly important.
“Technology is part of that, but so too are the distinctly human skills that help people connect, collaborate and solve problems. Learning Week was about giving people the opportunity to develop across both aspects and, importantly, encouraging continuous development that goes well beyond the week itself.”
Building a culture of continuous development
BDO’s Learning Week was designed to be more than a series of individual training sessions and encourage people to think more broadly about their development for the long term.
People across BDO UK and Ireland were encouraged to try something new, share experiences with colleagues and make personal development pledges, with the aim of taking their learnings into everyday working life.
Alison McCormick, Director of Learning and Development at BDO, says:
“People increasingly need to be comfortable learning and adapting throughout their careers. Learning Week gave people the space to step away from the day-to-day, be curious and try something different, whether that be exploring AI, developing a different professional skill, thinking about their wellbeing or connecting with colleagues they wouldn't normally work with.
“The important thing is that learning isn’t a one-off task. It’s continuous. Learning put into action is both inspiring and empowering. The engagement we saw across the business was fantastic and showed the value of giving people the opportunity to come together, to learn something new and invest in their own long-term development.”
ENDS
Note to editors
BDO LLP operates in 19 offices across the UK and Ireland, employing 8,500 people. It has revenues of £1.1bn.
It provides Audit, Tax, Deals, and Consulting, Risk & Outsourcing (CR&O) services predominantly to the entrepreneurial, ambitious and growing mid-sized businesses that are driving growth in the UK and Ireland economies.
BDO LLP is the UK and Ireland member firm of the BDO Global network.
BDO Global
The BDO international network provides business advisory services in 169 countries and territories, with 95,000 people working out of 870 offices worldwide. It has revenues of US$11bn.
Contact
Nikki Barnsley-WalkerCorporate Affairs Assistant Manager
nikki.barnsley-walker@bdo.co.uk
media@bdo.co.uk
www.bdo.co.uk