Q&A with Ornella Casagrande Rizzi, Learning and Development Coordinator, Indicium, on preparing for the challenges of the AI-driven future.
How can IT professionals prepare for the rapid evolution of roles caused by the proliferation of AI and machine learning technologies in 2025?
The IT market is an ever-changing environment that won’t stop evolving anytime soon, so it demands professionals who are also in constant motion with their technical skills, being agile and adaptable. The key to success in this scenario lies in a lifelong learning mentality, keeping up to date with new tools and technologies that emerge daily and also not forgetting to earn certifications that validate these skills, which will make all the difference in meeting the standards that the market requires.
However, mastering the technical field is only half the equation. Soft skills such as communication, creativity, adaptability, and analytical thinking will be major differentiators that help professionals respond quickly to change and also lead and innovate through it. Professionals who are constantly growing in both hard and soft skills will be ahead of the curve, shaping the future of technology in the market.
In the Lighthouse Program, a training initiative by Indicium Academy, students learn skills across numerous data career paths while also being on a journey to specifically enhance their human skills. Through a rigorous learning path and hands-on challenges, participants develop the versatility needed to excel in a competitive and ever-changing landscape. The challenge is worth it, as professionals become highly skilled in their fields, and some of them have even achieved high seniority positions at Indicium – a leading global data services company and one of the top data analytics companies in Latin America.
What steps can organizations take to ensure their workforce has the skills needed to stay relevant as legacy tech skills become obsolete?
When analyzing the strategies that successful companies use to keep their workforce relevant, it is clear that they all revolve around the same key factor: lifelong learning. A continuous learning mindset, along with valuing and encouraging employees to pursue continuous professional development, is what companies need to maintain a relevant workforce.
In the upskilling strategy, professionals learn new skills within their career field – a crucial factor as new technologies emerge in the market, requiring companies to adapt or risk being overtaken by competitors. On the other hand, with reskilling, employees are encouraged to take new steps in their careers while having a clear view of opportunities for internal mobility within the same company. Supporting and promoting these initiatives fosters a culture of continuous learning and knowledge-sharing within the organization. When employees transition to different roles or departments, they bring fresh perspectives to their new teams, naturally creating a flow of knowledge across the company.
At Indicium we have a strong Mentoring Program to welcome new employees. As the new hire settles, the TechTracks Program aims to keep the employee up to date in the skills of their chosen career. Eventually, professionals also have the opportunity to teach their specific data interests in the program. This dynamic approach not only fosters a culture of continuous learning but also builds lasting connections across the company.
How can businesses prioritize upskilling in areas like data analytics, cybersecurity and AI/ML to meet the demands of a competitive and transforming industry?
To prioritize upskilling, IT companies need strategies to build a culture of continuous learning, regularly evaluating their workforce to find where it needs improvement through Learning Needs Assessment to identify the key skills necessary to stay ahead of industry trends. However, a universal approach won’t work, each employee should have a personalized learning path that targets their specific needs, preferences, and learning styles, fostering engagement and reducing dropout rates.
For companies that want to focus on workforce development in 2025, collaborating with specialized educational institutions, such as Indicium Academy – known for providing data training programs to some well-known companies such as Zamp, Volvo, Novo Nordisk and more- is also a great strategy for engaging in continuous training which allow the creation of customized internal training programs that can elevate employees skills to the next level. In addition to considering the companies preferences, Indicium Academy can also analyze the needs of the projects that are being worked on, ensuring that the training aligns with both individual goals and organizational objectives.
What role do certifications and formal training programs play in helping IT professionals adapt to emerging technologies?
Certifications play a crucial role in helping IT professionals succeed in their careers. They can measure how seasoned the professionals are, for example, and how ready they are to move into a senior position or even transfer their knowledge from one project to another, according to the company’s needs.
Earning renowned certifications, like the ones from Azure and dbt, as well to participate in formal training programs such as the dbt from A to Z by Indicium Academy, is a field-tested way of validating the knowledge and skills of IT professionals, demonstrating their ability to evolve and learn new technologies while also having the opportunity to learn through a hands-on experience.
How can companies strike a balance between reskilling current employees and recruiting new talent with expertise in emerging technologies like AI and ML?
Reskill where possible, hire where necessary. Upskilling or reskilling are strategies that companies need to prioritize for numerous reasons: Besides avoiding the risks associated with hiring externally, upskilling/reskilling are excellent ways to foster a culture of learning by effectively teaching employees how to learn and shaping them into lifelong learners. This ensures the staff is better prepared for the dynamic changes brought by emerging technologies while also remaining loyal to their company. Align opportunities for learning with employee career paths and watch employee engagement and happiness increase significantly.
But when should companies hire externally? To answer this question, the company needs an organized internal process to determine what is needed, whether those capabilities already exist internally or if it is better and more profitable to bring in someone new.
Also, there’s the option of recruiting new talent without specialized knowledge and training them. It will take some time, but it is cheaper – and if the company does it consistently it won’t have to hire new super-skilled people or even spend that much on retaining current employees, which is a long-term really effective strategy.
What are the key challenges IT leaders face in fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation to address future tech trends?
Engaging employees while creating optimized and truly effective processes is a significant challenge IT leaders face in fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation today. Time constraints are a common barrier to effective programs, but these can be overcome with a well-crafted strategy that engages all levels of seniority across departments with a mutual objective.
Essentially, culture is from the top down, so, the leaders must be provided with the confidence to perpetuate the culture with the new employees and make room in the company’s calendar for official training sessions, providing the necessary learning resources and pathways that deliver real results for the company and for professional careers.
