Power Up: Challenging Traditional Career Paths

Knowledge, it has been said, is power. But as technology becomes ever more sophisticated, we will need more than knowledge to succeed in this rapidly changing world of work.

An ability to apply knowledge in different contexts and adapt skills across jobs and industries will be essential for business. Moreover, it will be crucial if our country is to increase productivity, reduce regional inequality and unleash the economic potential of its workers.

The pace and impact of technology on jobs and the workplace is a familiar theme. And while the rhetoric has so far focused on doom and gloom – mass unemployment, growing inequality and increasing regional disparities – the UK labour market tells us a different story. It has a strong record of adaptability in response to technological change – with the number of jobs rising by over three million since 2001.