Administration and Commerce, September 25, 2023

Artificial Intelligence, Aligning School with Industry Expectations.Today, we reflected on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) in the influence on office-based trades such as secretarial, accounting and computing support.

To situate this in relation to the tasks of the trade, we looked at research findings about which work tasks are the most exposed to AI, and what this could mean for entry-level workers. It is clear that it will be disruptive, and that it will improve productivity in office-type work. We discussed teachers wanting to make sure students are prepared for the expectations of the trade, and how we want to incorporate learning about AI into the programs, but we are at a bit of a loss as to where to begin. Teachers are looking for professional development activities where they could learn about this with a critical lens. They want to make sure that the basics are not neglected, and that students develop critical thinking skills around AI. They are concerned that evaluations and evaluation policies are not reflective of current workforce performance expectations, and that education is slow to adapt. We finished our discussion with a desire to have another session to discuss this very interesting topic further!
This meeting was on September 25, 2023. It was hosted by Robin Long, Provincial Vocational Training Education Consultant and Marc Vézina, Education Consultant, RÉCIT-Vocational Training, English School Boards.