A forthcoming white paper on skills and AI co-developed with Dr Barbara Jones will explore some of the challenges arising for skills training from the introduction of AI technologies. AI is being developed at pace by a small number of global technology firms, but is being implemented widely, and often haphazardly. Feedback loops which an unbounded AI implementation creates will lead to extreme unpredictability and rapid change in the demand for skills. In the white paper we explore how such "frictional skills gaps" can emerge and what might be suitable policy responses. Our use of the term frictional skills draws on the concept of frictional unemployment, where the development of skills lags the demands of swiftly evolving technology, resulting in challenges in matching skill supply with demand. Addressing frictional skills gaps demands a continuous commitment to retraining and lifelong learning with employers, workers, and government all having key roles to play. Achieving a high-skilled workforce, as envisaged by new UK policies for skills, hinges upon the unwavering dedication of influential business and political leaders to establish the necessary institutional framework for mitigating frictional skills gaps.
This white paper considers the reasons why policy design and evaluation have been pursued as separate enterprises. It then looks at why and how connections between them are now being made. The last section of the paper considers the next steps needed to bring these two activities together - what we term design-evaluation bridging - and what the implications are for organisations responsible for interventions.