“Big four” auditing firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is launching training programs to employees on blockchain and other nascent technologies.
The two-year digital skills course, dubbed “Digital Accelerators” and said to begin in January, will train 1,000 employees on everything from drones, blockchain, and cleansing data to 3D printing, a news report from tech publication Digiday says.
The intermediate-to-advanced skill building courses is aimed to enhance PwC employees’ digital skills as well as cut costs for clients, thus boosting internal blockchain expertise, the report added. According to Sarah McEneaney, digital talent leader at PwC and head of the program, PwC clients expect things more digitally in order to control the cost.
McEneaney added:
“My job is to future proof our workforce. It just seems table stakes at this point that people should have more technology skills. It’s needed for us to remain competitive and to be responsive for what our clients are also going through.”
Every participating employee is required to spend 10 hours per week in Digital Accelerator courses irrespective of their past responsibilities. The curriculum consists of three basic key areas with data and analytics including blockchain at the initial level, drones, augmented reality, and cybersecurity at intermediate level, followed by AI and machine learning.
McEneaney stated that, with the courses, employees’ responsibilities will be on client work that is focused digitally, which she says is a “new role” for them. Approximately 3,500 employees have applied for a spot in this program out of 46,000 of its nationwide employees after the roll-out of application this March.
The classes are designed for both onsite as well as virtual training.
Increasingly, blockchain expertise is becoming a highly-sought-after skill among employers in a variety of industries. Consequently, more universities and trade schools are giving this nascent field a place in their educational programs. Earlier this week, CCN reported that 42 percent of the top 50 universities in the U.S. offer at least one blockchain course.
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