Future Talent Forum Advances University-Enterprise Engagement in a Skills-First Economy
Developing future talent and building a pipeline for sustainable economic and business growth is crucial for enterprises, individuals, and universities. Nurturing strong university-enterprise partnerships is a central element driving the co-design of innovative programmes that pioneer the skills and learning to promote career growth and support businesses to achieve their growth ambitions. On June 22nd, the Enterprise Academy hosted its inaugural Future Talent Forum to drive transformative partnerships through innovative enterprise-led engagement and foster a community of talent development professionals from across enterprise and academia. Attended by over 120 talent development professionals, sessions explored critical learning design principles and workforce trends including transversal skills, generative Artificial Intelligence, applied assessment for Enterprise learners and the value of accredited education within a learning ecosystem.
A skills-first approach to talent acquisition and development was a pervasive theme. Opening keynote Kate O’Sullivan, a Senior Director of EU Public Policy and Economic Graph at LinkedIn, highlighted the benefits of such an approach, including an increased talent pool for employers, democratised access to economic opportunity and a more diverse and resilient workforce. Greta Stahl, Senior Director of Organisational Learning and Development at Workday closed the day with an urgent call to recognise the currency of skills as a more agile way to approach workforce development and the importance of continued experimentation and personalisation.
“These kinds of opportunities for learning and exchange are critical to advancing the future of university-enterprise partnerships and developing the skills of the current and future workforce. We were thrilled by the depth of interest and engagement at our inaugural event,” said Dr Claire Mc Bride, Head of the Enterprise Academy at TU Dublin. “Over the coming year, we hope to hold many more of these types of gatherings, with a further focus in sectoral and thematic areas, to foster a community of talent development professionals who share a common cause on the skills agenda,” she added.
Sessions and panellists included:
- Why are Soft Skills Hard? Unpicking Transversal Skills with Holly Jackson, Manager, Talent Acquisition EMEA, Docusign; Kevin Redmond, Founder at SkillDing; Alex Gibson, Head of Digital Marketing at TU Dublin and founder of the ARVR Innovate Conference and Expo, moderated by Dr Dee Duffy, Senior Talent Development Partner, Enterprise Academy at TU Dublin
- Authentic Assessment: Real-Time Learning for Business Growth and Change with >Siobhán Smith, Marketing Director, Expleo Group; Dr Lucia Walsh, Lecturer in Business Sustainability and Entrepreneurship at TU Dublin; Liam Cronin, CEO, RDI Hub; moderated by Dr Claire Mc Bride, Head of the Enterprise Academy at TU Dublin
- Enterprise Challenges: Insights into Enterprise and Learner Engagement in Live Cases with Sarah Doran, Director of Engineering, Travelport; Mark Fowler, Strategy Innovation and Transformation, ESB; Dr Thomas Macagno, UCD Innovation Academy, Lead on Innovation for Sustainability; Sinead Heneghan, CEO, Learning and Development Institute; moderated by Niamh O’Hora, Educational Designer, Enterprise Academy at TU Dublin
- Knowledge by Degrees: Demystifying University Accreditation with Dr Claudia Igbrude, Manager, Technology Products, Platforms and Infrastructure for Learning, PayPal; Dr Claire McAvinia, Academic Developer, TU Dublin; Gareth Lee, Manager of Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet; Jane Massy, Senior Consultant, SGS; moderated by Dr Colin Hughes, Head of the Graduate Business School, TU Dublin
- The role of Generative AI, ChatGPT and Beyond with Dr Robert Ross, Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Science, TU Dublin; Barbara Whelan, Head of Education, Microsoft Ireland; Dr Amy Awad, Senior AI Consultant at EY; moderated by Kat English, Enterprise Academy Manager, TU Dublin
- Enterprise-Led Programme Design – A Best Practice Case Study of Brewing & Distilling with Dr Ciara Walsh, Senior Talent Development Partner, TU Dublin Enterprise Academy and Stuart McNamara, Director, Portmagee Whiskey
Building on TU Dublin’s deep institutional history of enterprise engagement the Enterprise Academy brokers collaboration between companies of all sizes and sectors to design and deliver accredited programmes from Level 6 to Level 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications. With a focus on workforce education, the Enterprise Academy’s team of academics and business professionals translate the needs of industry and navigate TU Dublin’s internal ecosystem, co-designing solutions to meet business needs.
The Enterprise Academy is funded by Convene, a collaborative project between TU Dublin and, under the Higher Education Authority’s Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3 – Innovation and Agility. Learn more at https://www.tudublin.ie/connect/partnering-with-us/enterprise-academy/