Plenary 04. Untapped talent for the future

Access to the right talent is crucial to the success of any innovation ecosystem, and developing, attracting and retaining talent is a key concern for our industry. Shortage of the right talent slows regional development and prevents companies from achieving their full potential, and STPs/AOIs have long taken it upon themselves to ensure their companies can find the right skilled staff when they need them, but is there more we could do? Speakers from Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa and Kenya share their insights on engaging young people, tackling barriers like the digital divide and weak infrastructure, and how to reach talent in underrepresented groups such as women and disabled people.

Main megatrend pillar: People & society.

Key trends and sub-trends: individualisation and empowerment, erosion of gender boundaries, female empowerment, social media, urbanisation, growing power of cities versus countries, AI & automation, automated education, greater interconnectedness, network economy, service economy