Accounting, Engineering Skills to Become Obsolete as Technology Advances, Says Karl Toriola

MTN’s Chief Executive Officer Karl Toriola recently stated that with the rapid advancement of technology in today’s world, some skills will become obsolete as employers will begin to demand future relevant skills.

He saidt skills such as Accounting and Engineering will fade away soon, all thanks to technology as many processes have become automated due to the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing, and Machine learning which performs tasks faster and more efficiently.

Mr. Karl also emphasized on the need for youths to possess future relevant skills which he disclosed will make them more employable and will also allow them to navigate future jobs.

In his words, “If it’s accounting or law that you’re studying, or if it is engineering, going by the way we teach engineering, a lot of that knowledge is going to become near obsolete, because there are apps that are going to do all those calculations, or you plug in the court case, it picks up the few keywords, using the artificial intelligence and tells you, this is the best defense, etc.

“A lot of those skills are obsolete, and they have been effectively enmeshed into our computing and knowledge system that doesn’t require the human brain for it, and they can pull on it when they need it.

“So, the skills that are needed for the future are skills around being able to imagine things in a completely different light, reinvent business models, change the way things are done, increase things on productivity like food production; help with environmental issues like waste management, and all the other issues that are facing the world of tomorrow”.

He also disclosed that the area of content creation will become a very hot cake in the future, while noting that it is ideal for youths to learn skills that are in high demand, which will make them highly sought after by brands and organizations.

Due to the ever-changing nature of technology with the world rapidly evolving into a digital era, employers are now stressing the importance of future skills, skills that go beyond one’s qualifications.

This means that those who fail to upskill will cease to remain relevant in their industry, which will inevitably put them behind those who have properly equipped themselves with future relevant skills, Investors King understands.