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"An extraordinary confluence of forces stemming from automation and digital technologies is transforming both the world of work and the ways we educate current and future employees to contribute productively to the workplace. The Great Skills Gap opens with the premise that the exploding scope and pace of technological innovation in the digital age is fast transforming the fundamental nature of work. Due to these developments, the skills and preparation that employers need from their talent pool are shifting. The accelerated pace of evolution and disruption in the competitive business landscape demands that workers be not only technically proficient, but also exceptionally agile in their capacity to think and act creatively and quickly learn new skills. This book explores how these transformative forces are-or should be-driving innovations in how colleges and universities prepare students for their careers. Focused on the impact of this confluence of forces at the nexus of work and higher education, the book's contributors-an illustrious group of leading educators, prominent employers, and other thought leaders-answer profound questions about how business and higher education can best collaborate in support of the twenty-first century workforce."

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Foreword -- Introduction -- Part I: Talent of the Future: Are We Missing the Mark? -- First Introduction -- Second Introduction -- 1. Equipping a New Generation with the Skills Needed in the Automation Age -- 2. The Role of Citizen Developers in Developing Technological Literacy -- 3. The Future of Work: Four Difficult Questions I Ask Myself as an Employer -- 4. Why Geography Is So Important -- 5. Enabling a High-Performing, Human-Centered Organization in Pfizer's Upjohn Division -- 6. How the Future of Work Impacts the Workforce of Technical Organizations -- 7. Corporate Learning and Development Has a Vital Role to Play in the Robotics Revolution-Is It Ready? -- Part II: Higher Education: Still the Solution for a Workforce in Flux? -- First Introduction -- Second Introduction -- 8. Supporting Unlearning to Enable Upskilling -- 9. Higher Education's Changing Faces: Serving STEM Learners for a Lifetime -- 10. The Future of Business Education: New Economies of Automation, Certification, and Scale -- 11. Back to the Future: Fragile Workers, Higher Education, and the Future Knowledge Economy -- 12. The Evolution of the Liberal Arts -- 13. The Evolution of Liberal Education in a Technology-Mediated, Global Society -- 14. The Core and the Adult Student -- 15. Perpetual Learning as Alumni Engagement: Renewing the Social Contract -- Part III: Bridging the Gap between Learning and Labor -- First Introduction -- Second Introduction -- 16. Harnessing the Power and Potential of Diversity and Inclusion -- 17. Public Education and the Future of Work -- 18. Developing Workers for the Workplace: How Businesses and Higher Education Can Alleviate Worker Barriers to Retraining or Upskilling -- 19. Past as Prologue: Apprenticeship and the Future of Work -- 20. Bachelor's-Level Registered Apprenticeship for Engineers: Possibilities and Challenges -- 21. The Agility Imperative: The Future of Work and Business-Higher Education Partnerships -- 22. Demand for the "Blended Digital Professional" -- 23. A Coherent Approach to Connect: Education and the Future of Work -- Conclusion -- Notes -- About the Contributors -- Index

The information and consultation Directive was transposed into Maltese law in January 2006. Under the implementing legislation, information and consultation rights are exercised by recognised trade unions or, where these are not present, by specially elected or appointed employee representatives. The main social partners reacted positively to the adoption and implementation of the Directive. From anecdotal evidence it seems that the Directive's implementation has so far not resulted in major changes. ; peer-reviewed

Nursing aides have been in disagreement with the government over issues relating to pay, rosters and a premium allowance. Since the General Workers' Union (GWU), which represents the nursing aides, considered that these issues were not being addressed properly, the trade union resorted to partial industrial action on several occasions. GWU was also annoyed when the government decided to reach an agreement with the Union of United Workers instead. ; peer-reviewed

Although, in recent years, a number of organisations mostly from the manufacturing sector relocated abroad, the government tended not to intervene to influence the companies' decisions. The government also has a rather liberal policy towards the selling of domestic companies to foreign ones. While the threat of relocation appears to be increasing its weight on collective bargaining, unions usually do not publicise it. The cases of ST Microelectronics and Bortex Limited were two notable exceptions which made it to the press. There have been no recent cases where trade unions have resisted foreign acquisition of domestic companies explicitly on the basis of the nationality of the company concerned. Eurobarometer surveys indicate that most Maltese are in favour of globalisation and view it as a positive trend. ; peer-reviewed

The Malta Labour Party has proposed that the chair of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development should be given a ministerial rank and attend government cabinet meetings pertaining to the council's business. The proposal received lukewarm support from the social partners. The Union of United Workers was the most vocal in expressing its concern that this move would compromise the chair's impartiality, a necessary characteristic for such a role. ; peer-reviewed

As part of the government's plan to pedestrianise the inner streets of Malta's capital city of Valletta, about 115 street vendors were notified that they would be relocated. In response, the Union of United Workers, which represents the vendors, refused to accept the government's arbitrary decision. Moreover, the vendors organised a spontaneous protest march, while refusing to set up their stalls for several days. However, the issue was subsequently resolved. At present, the Maltese government is in the process of pedestrianising the inner streets of the country's capital city of Valletta. As a result of these changes, around 115 street vendors were informed that they would have to relocate out of the city until the infrastructural works were completed. The government was also proposing that when the street vendors returned, they would relocate to a block further down from their original location. ; peer-reviewed

Unwilling to end its opt-out clause, Malta has rejected the Finnish Presidency's compromise proposal for a revised version of the working time directive. Nevertheless, the Maltese government stated that it was in favour of negotiations to find a common EU solution for a revised directive. The social partners have supported the government's stand on the issue. Malta has turned down the Finnish presidency proposal attempting to resolve the disagreement and break the long-term deadlock that has existed over the reform of Directive 2003/88/EC (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ /LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0088:EN:HTML) concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time (//www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork /industrial-relations-dictionary/working-time). Malta is one of the Member States – together with the UK (UK0611039I (//www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles /social-partners-divided-over-stalemate-in-eu-discussions-on-working-time-opt-out)) – that supports the opt-out (//www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrialrelations- dictionary/opt-out) clause in the working time directive, whereby a country can choose not to apply the 48-hour limit on average weekly working hours if an individual worker consents to 'opt out' of that limit. Malta had negotiated this agreement before joining the European Union. The latest proposal was the fifth time that the directive has been brought forward for revision. The revised draft of the Finnish presidency still allows Member States to maintain the opt-out clause, but introduces a 60-hour limit on weekly working hours, which would be binding for all Member States, without any opt-out possibility. The average working time for this limit is to be calculated over a six-month period. No average working time limit, however, would apply for company executives, emergency workers and farmers, and on-call time would be treated as working time ; peer-reviewed

On 28 February 2006, the Public Transport Association resorted to industrial action affecting all bus services, after negotiations with the government and the Malta Transport Authority reached deadlock over reform measures and outstanding subsidies. The strike ended on 3 March 2006 as an agreement on subsidy payment was reached. The Public Transport Association (Assocazzjoni tat-Trasport Pubbliku, PTA (http://www.atp.com.mt)) resorted to industrial action at the end of February after the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads (MUDR (http://www.mudr.gov.mt)) and the Malta Transport Authority (Awtorita Dwar it-Trasport ta'Malta, ADT (http://www.maltatransport.com/en/)) did not respect a 48-hour ultimatum that PTA had set. Ongoing negotiations reached deadlock in relation to government subsidies that are still due to be paid for 2005 and reform measures concerning route service in public transport. PTA's position was clear that it would call off the industrial action if it received immediate payment of 2005 subsidies and observed a change in the government's bargaining attitude concerning public transport system reforms. At the same time, the government insisted that subsidies granted for 2005 amounted to MTL 1.25 million (€2.9 million) while the transport association asked for MTL 1.3 million (just over €3 million), which represents a difference of MTL 50,000 (approximately €117,000). ; peer-reviewed

Early this year, Port employees were ordered by General Workers' Union to take partial industrial action to protest against the proposed Port Services Directive. The European Parliament rejected the Directive by a vote of 532 to 120. The Port Services Directive, proposed two years ago by the Commission and rejected after strong opposition by port workers, was once again presented to the European Parliament. The new proposed Directive, among others, states that it will allow ship owners to employ their crew in handling cargo. On 11 and 12 January, Maltese Port workers stopped working for a number of hours in protest against the proposed Port Services Directive. This industrial action was taken at the Maltese Ports by the General Workers' Union (GWU (http://www.gwu.org.mt/)) in conjunction with all the other European unions who organised similar partial industrial actions in all ports across Europe. The Maritime and Aviation Section Secretary of GWU stated that these actions were taken to express solidarity with workers across Europe and to send a clear message to the European Parliament of their opposition to this Directive. GWU was the only Maltese union which took action against this Directive despite the fact that there are other unions representing workers in this sector. Apart from this measure, 22 port workers who are members of GWU went to Strasburg to join other European workers in a demonstration organised by the International Transport Federation (ITF) and the European Transport Federation (ETF) and held on 16 January. ; peer-reviewed