Multiverse CPTO on the Age of Disruption and the Role of Apprenticeships

We recently sat down with the Multiverse CPTO Ujjwal Singh to talk about AI and its potential impact on the future of work. Read below to learn more about the importance of continuous learning, upskilling, and reskilling in the face of technological disruptions.

What does “age of disruption” mean to you?

We go through cycles where there's an introduction to disruptive technologies- this is everything from the internet to the World Wide Web and mobile. Throughout all of that, one common thing is these disruptive technologies’ ability to increase access - for example, mobile phones increased access to information. There are people all over the world who never had a PC, never had a screen, and then all of a sudden, they have a phone through which they can access the internet, YouTube and apps. Very broadly, technological disruption always creates new opportunities.

What’s exciting about the latest disruption around AI is its potential to increase access to technology skills and jobs. AI is going to level the playing field around who and how people can get into tech jobs that they previously didn’t have access to. For example, there's this long-running coding competition that happens in Silicon Valley, and this year it was won by a marketer, not a software engineer. This shows that anybody with a good idea can now use AI and other tools to do things they couldn't do before. You don't need a Computer Science degree from a college to do it.

So, equity of access is what I think all technological disruption leads to. It could be access to information, but in today's world -think it's access to skills and access to jobs.
 
Perfect, so what types of disruption should we expect in the future of work?  

There are two things that I think we all need to embrace. One is constant learning, meaning you have to be continually upskilling and reskilling. A couple of years ago, you could have been an expert in AI, and now the language learning models are totally different. So, if you weren't keeping up, if you weren't upskilling, if you weren't continually learning, you would’ve fallen behind. This is something I think about personally - for me to be effective in my role, I have to be thinking about how I’m continually upskilling especially in the crazy fast-changing world of AI. 

The second one is that you're only held back by your own aspirations. It's no longer what degree you get in college or what you can afford.  People from everywhere, all walks of life, all backgrounds, and all ages are going to be able to do things that they couldn't do yesterday; and that I think is incredible.

So, combining the two points, the people who are continually learning, those who are continually aspiring to be something, to learn more and to do more are going to be the ones who will have the most access to the new opportunities that are created. Apprenticeships at Multiverse are one of the best ways, in my opinion, to learn continuously about subjects that are most relevant to today’s workforce in an applied setting.
 
Great, you touched on this point briefly, but in your opinion, will these disruptions lead to job losses or will they create more job opportunities? 

I think all these disruptions are likely going to lead to some job losses but ultimately they will create more opportunities for those who are constantly upskilling. There will be some jobs that are no longer necessary, but people who lose their jobs will be able to do other jobs that are more necessary. So, overall, there are going to be new jobs that will exist and existing jobs will require new skills. 

I'm a techno-optimist in general, so I believe that in general, everyone's going to uplevel their skills as part of this new wave with AI. Everyone's going to uplevel in terms of their opportunities, what their lifestyles can be and what their jobs can be. 

On that point, how can individuals future-proof their careers in the age of disruption? 

As I mentioned before, upskilling is crucial and we need to think about upskilling holistically. For example at Multiverse, we focus on knowledge, skills and behaviours all together. It's not just about watching a video and having knowledge of something. It's not just about being able to do a project and saying, I have the skills. It's about behaviour. It's about how and when to apply your knowledge and skills. It's knowing when the AI tool that you're using may have produced something that's not exactly right. It's knowing how to communicate what you've done. The combination of knowledge, skills and behaviours is something that we will all continually need to be upskilling and uplevelling. 

Crucially at Multiverse, you do all of that in an applied setting.  You take the knowledge, skills, and behaviours and see tangible, real-world outcomes. You are not confined to theoretical and abstract concepts but you actually see the value of the work that you're doing. By not being disconnected from the value you’re creating in the real world, you build competencies that will actually matter in the workplace. In short, building knowledge, skills and behaviours simultaneously is the key to future-proofing your career and doing an apprenticeship is an excellent way to do this. 
 
Right, so can you discuss the role of apprenticeships in addressing the challenges of the future of work? 

I think apprenticeships are super critical in terms of giving people an opportunity to continue to work while learning. It's at the heart of applied learning. It also is critical in terms of giving access to everyone, regardless of whether they're working or whether they're just starting their career.  I think apprenticeships are a tool to enact continuous learning. They’re a mechanism for continuous uplevelling, and for applying the concept of applied learning in the real world in an equitable way. While I think it's going to be a key part of what we're going to see, it's not going to be the only thing; there are going to be other things, other ways that you can apply your learning, other ways that you'll be able to gain valuable skills while creating value. Apprenticeships are just today's version of this but over time, they will evolve as well. 

Another thing I'll say is that apprenticeships aren't new. They've been around since the Middle Ages. People used to work under masters and used to gain skills by working on a daily basis next to a master. 

Doing an apprenticeship and working alongside someone who’s an expert in that field is a really useful way for those who are starting their careers. It applies to people who are in college too. I was recently talking to a friend of mine who’s a professor, and he suggested that an apprenticeship could be great for students who are studying CS because they could learn alongside a master or alongside someone who's been in the industry. So apprenticeships are a broad concept and they apply in lots of different settings. And I think they will also evolve over time.
 
As the CPTO of Multiverse, how do you intend to leverage the power of emerging technologies to enhance the learning experience at Multiverse and to equip apprentices with skills to successfully navigate future works, challenges, and opportunities?

One of the things that we're looking at is how we use AI and other models to enable apprentices and other Multiverse users to be in a world where they're getting continuous guided learning. Internally, we’re starting to think about an ‘always-on coach’. This would be an AI-assisted coach who sees what you're doing, suggests skills for you to upskill on, suggests content for you to consume, and connects you with the right set of people and mentors while allowing you to give back to the community by connecting you with other people who might be like you, who are behind you, and who you can give back to. 

Using AI as a way to have a career assistant or a career coach that always lives with you, is a really powerful concept that could transform how people think about continuous and applied learning and continuous upskilling. That said, we can never replace human-to-human interaction with AI, therefore human coaching will always remain a part of our programmes. The AI-assisted coach will be a valuable add-on that will help superpower our apprentices' growth on top of the essential support given by the human coaches.
 
That sounds very exciting. So lastly, do you have any final thoughts or wisdom that you'd like to share with our apprentices and alumni?

The thing I'd say is that sometimes it can be daunting to see how quickly things are changing and it can feel like it's impossible to catch up. You may feel like you don't know where to start but the key is to just start somewhere. It doesn't have to be from the beginning. It doesn't have to be from the right point. The first step is the hardest as they say. But once you take it, once you get on a path of continuous learning, upskilling and reskilling, and once you have tools that help you do that, like an always-on coach at Multiverse, I think you'll find that you'll progress in your careers and towards your aspirations in a way that has never been possible before. 

If you’re looking for a tangible point to start from, I’d recommend enrolling in Multiverse’s AI Jumpstart, which is available to all our apprentices through the learning platform. The course is an 8-hour, self-paced journey that will equip you with a strong foundation in AI fundamentals. You'll be able to spot opportunities, wield AI tools effectively, and contribute to your company's digital transformation.

As I said, I'm an optimist. I think this is an amazing time to be alive, to be learning, to be figuring out what you are really good at, what you want to do and how to. And companies like Multiverse can help you reach whatever goals you may have.

More about Ujjwal Singh:

Ujjwal started his career as an engineer before founding his first business, Say Now, a voice messaging social network, which was later acquired by Google. Following the acquisition, Ujjwal was tasked with launching and building Google Hangouts, which he scaled to 750 million users, before joining YouTube and working on YouTube Kids and YouTube Music. He then joined GoFundMe as their Chief Technology Officer and grew the product from $200 million in Gross Donation Volume to over $2.5 billion. After working at Google to lead Area 120, their internal accelerator and innovation unit, Ujjwal joined Facebook and led their Workplace product as the Head of Workplace. Ujjwal joined Multiverse in April 2023 as CPTO to lead the vision and roadmap to make Multiverse the platform for apprenticeships globally.

This blog was curated by the Multiverse Community Team. Any thoughts or ideas you’d like to share about “the age of disruption”? Share them in the comments below!