28 November 2017
Future of Work Summit launched with Catalyst Inc.
February 28th, 2018 Waterfront Hall, Belfast
Bank of Ireland UK today announced it has strengthened its partnership with Catalyst Inc. to launch the Future of Work in Northern Ireland Solutions Summit that will take place in February 2018.
The summit will explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the advance of intelligent technologies and address the need for local businesses to act now in order to secure competitive advantage in a new economy.
Announcing details of the summit, the Bank said results from a recent poll of over 500 local businesses found, that on average, 50% do not recognise the need to change the way they do business over the next 5 years while 51% viewed digital and IT as a driver for competitive advantage.
Gavin Kennedy, Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland UK said: “The world of business is changing faster than ever. It is estimated that more than 80%* of the jobs people will be doing in 10 years’ time have not yet been created.
“In this era of globalisation, rapid technological growth and increased automation it is vital that businesses across Northern Ireland have a strategy to manage the changing economic landscape.
“Northern Ireland has a history and a tradition of innovating and we want to play our part in supporting those businesses who want to seize on growth opportunities in the modern economy.
“We want to stimulate debate and discussion among local businesses as to how they develop their understanding of the future economy and how they can act now to seize on new opportunities for growth in a changed world. We are delighted to have joined forces with Catalyst Inc. who have secured world class keynote speakers and our shared ambition is for this to be a high energy and highly participatory event.”
Acknowledging the Bank of Ireland’s innovative approach to supporting an entrepreneurial economy, Steve Orr Director of Connect at Catalyst Inc explained: “Northern Ireland is targeted to be a leading knowledge economy by 2030 with an additional 80,000 jobs created.
“This summit will allow delegates to explore how we take advantage of the opportunities from automation and apply them to our business operations in Northern Ireland. Whether you are in a major corporation, leading an SME, launching a start-up or influencing government policy this is a unique opportunity to learn how we, as a regional economy and society, prepare and retool our talent for this new world.”
The announcement comes as Bank of Ireland UK draws to a close its seventeenth Enterprise Week, which took place from November 17 – 24, with the theme ‘Supporting Business Growth.’
Throughout the week, the bank hosted several roadshows across Northern Ireland which initiated discussion among attendees about growing a business through innovation, export, leadership mindset and the adoption of digital strategies.
Keynote speakers include from Chicago, Ravin Jesuthasan, who is a thought-leader on the future of work. Ravin has led research on the global workforce, the emerging digital economy and the transformation of work and he was lead partner for the World Economic Forum’s “Shaping the future implications of digital media for society” and has spoken at conferences worldwide. He is the author of the recently released, Lead The Work: Navigating a World Beyond Employment, Harvard Press.
Also speaking is Jonathan Downing, a native of Northern Ireland and a leading researcher at the Oxford Martin School who was responsible for publishing the September 2017 report entitled “The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030” which takes an entirely new approach to forecasting employment and skill demands in the US and UK. The study finds that many jobs will still be in demand by 2030 but the skills needed for success are changing.
The summit will bring together corporate business, SMEs and business start-ups as well as HR Directors, Government and representatives from education.
The event will follow the publication on January 18th of the 2017 Knowledge Economy Index which is also sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK. The report will feature the impact of automation in Northern Ireland and will look at those international companies who are leading the world in embracing the advantages of automation.
For more information and to purchase tickets please head to: http://www.futureofworkni.co/
Ends
Media contact
Catherine Agnew at Smarts Communicate
T: 028 90395500
M: 07779101360
E: Catherine.agnew@smartscommunicate.com
Notes for editors:
*85 per cent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet, estimates the report, which was authored by the Institute for the Future (IFTF) and a panel of 20 tech, business and academic experts from around the world.