Successes in Employee and Workforce Upskilling

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to influence how people work, organizations are reassessing how they equip employees with the skills needed to adapt. At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Business Solves conference, workforce experts explored how businesses and communities can turn that transformation into opportunity. 

The panel, moderated by Niki DaSilva, senior director of policy and programs at the U.S. Chamber Foundation, featured Lydia Logan, vice president of global education and workforce development at IBM, and Wes Parham, vice president of public affairs at Pinnacol Assurance. 

AI Reshapes Workforce Readiness  

When it comes to upskilling, "the single greatest driver is the impact that AI is starting to have on the workforce," Logan said. She highlighted how IBM is expanding access to free education and career training through SkillsBuild, an online platform aimed at preparing learners for in-demand fields. “We have a commitment to reach 30 million people by 2030,” she shared. 

Logan also emphasized the need for both technical and workplace skills, noting IBM’s work to integrate digital credentials and micro-pathways into traditional education systems. “We believe you need both technical skills—like AI, data analytics, cybersecurity—and human skills like project management, collaboration, communication, and design thinking.” 

Real-World Training and Skills-Based Hiring  

As college costs soar and families reconsider traditional pathways, innovative partnerships are creating new models for workforce development. "Business has a generational opportunity to define what skills-based hiring looks like as the nexus between K-12, higher education, and our economy," Parham said. 

Pinnacol Assurance has operationalized this vision through Colorado's largest youth apprenticeship program, partnering with 18 high schools and multiple higher education institutions. Apprentices earn competitive wages while obtaining U.S. Department of Labor-registered credentials. 

Logan noted IBM’s own shift: “Our CEO believes that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not,” she said, referencing the company’s decision to eliminate the four-year degree requirement from the majority of its U.S. job postings. 

Cross-Sector Collaboration Drives Change 

"Business providing information is what drives policy, and policy is what drives funding and programs," Parham said, pointing to Colorado's efforts to codify skills-based hiring standards through partnerships between employers, education institutions, and state leaders. 

Logan advocated for coalition models where employers provide granular labor market data to guide public investment, allowing training dollars to supplement free foundational courses and maximize community impact. 

Both leaders urged action immediately. Logan encouraged organizations to start upskilling today, noting that AI implementation requires responsible use frameworks and deliberate human oversight. Parham advises to “fail fast,” emphasizing that “it's better to get moving, learn, and adapt than to overanalyze and not move at all.”