Mumbai, India, October 22, 2019 : IET’s Engineering the Future of Work Conference, a first-of-its-kind event that aims to provide a neutral, credible and inclusive platform to discuss the future of the Indian workforce, was held today at Taj Lands End in Mumbai. The day long conference, focused on creating a roadmap for India to solve the biggest jigsaw in the future of work, saw a footfall of over 100 participants and 30 speakers. The conference was organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), one of the world’s most reputed professional societies for engineers that completes 150 years of existence in 2021. It brought experts across ecosystems to kick-start a movement and to create think-tanks that will work with industry, academia and the government to create road maps for the future of work in India.
Shekhar Sanyal, Futurist- Impact of Technology, Country Head and Director IET India inaugurated the event, which was followed by a opening address by Mandeep Maitra, Leadership, Transformation and Design Thinking Coach and Chair, IET’s Engineering the Future of Work Steering Committee. Naomi Climer, Co-chair, Institute for the Future of Work, UK delivered the keynote address and Reema Nanavati, Leader, Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA) gave the super keynote address on democratising the future of work in India, discussing how India can build a framework that makes the future of work accessible to millions – both rural and urban.
The event included fireside chats on teaching and skilling- a future ready perspective and the future of blue collar jobs in India, alongside panel discussions on new staffing models, the gig economy, the impact of AI and automation on job security and workplaces of the future. Speakers from renowned companies and universities both international and national including, Institute for the Future of Work, Jones Lang LaSalle, PeopleStrong, 91Springboard, Xelpmoc, Awfis Space Solutions, TapChief, upGrad, Citibank and TeamLease amongst others participated in the conference.
The IET’s Future of Work playbook, a dedicated guide to navigate the future of work, was launched at the conference. Divided into five buckets, the playbook highlights the best practices for meaningful work and create a guideline that will help build organisational designs and policies feasible for the future of work.
- People and skills in the Future of Work – Talent, Learning, Diversity and Inclusion and Skilling
- Platforms powering the Future of Work – Gig Economy, Technology, White- and Blue-Collar workers
- Places enhancing the Future of Work – New workplace paradigms and Workplaces of the future
- Practices for reinventing the Future of Work – New work practices, Framework for good work and D&I in the future of work
- Policies redefining the Future of Work – Policies and current legal systems and future work prediction
Some of the eminent speakers at the event were:
- Naomi Climer, Co-chair, Institute for the Future of Work, UK
- Mandeep Maitra – Leadership, Transformation and Design Thinking Coach and Chair, IET’s Engineering the Future of Work Steering Committee
- Varun Chawla, Founder, 91 Springboard
- Rajat Malhotra, COO, Jones Lang LaSalle
- Reema Nanavati, Leader – Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA)
- Shekhar Sanyal, Futurist, Impact of Technology, Country Head & Director, IET India
- Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder & CEO, PeopleStrong
- Sumit Lakhani, CMO, Awfis
- Ashish Goenka, Director, Redbrick Offices
- Robin Bhowmik, Chief Business Officer, Manipal Global Education Services
Speaking on the success of the event, Mandeep Maitra, Chair of the IET Engineering the Future of Work Steering Committee and Leadership, Transformation and Design Thinking Coach said, ‘’India’s workforce is not just diverse, it is also one of the youngest in the world, yet over seventy percent of India’s educated youth remain unemployed. IET’s Engineering the Future of Work conference is designed to bring the industry, academia and government together to discuss the gaps and the future we are hurtling towards. Today, we saw representatives from each of these sectors come together to form a concrete roadmap to survive the future of work.”
“We at the IET are delighted by the outcome of the event, to be able to foster these discussions and assess all key quadrants such as higher education, organisation constructs, personal skills and growth and future frameworks, to make the transition to the future easier. We hope that with the launch of India’s first ever Future of Work playbook, which offers a dedicated guide to navigate the demands of tomorrows’ jobs, the transition to this future will be eased. We look forward to more individuals and organisations joining us in solving the biggest jigsaw in the future of work”, said Shekhar Sanyal, Futurist, Impact of Technology, Country Head and Director IET India, on the sidelines of the event.
