- November 02, 2020
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- June 20, 2025
On November 2, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. (CET), Aspen Germany hosted a virtual workshop on “Tech and the Worker: Automation and the Education Cycle ” with Marina Gorbis, Executive Director of the Institute for the Future (IFTF); and Dr. Max Neufeind, Author, Speaker, and Policy Advisor on the Digital Transformation and the Future of Work.
This workshop focused on questions around professional supply, demand, and compensation. Together with the participants we examined the main policy instruments of retraining and lifelong learning and tackled the following questions: How does automation affect on-the-job training in white collar professions? What does it mean when emotional-intelligence-centric professions like child and elder care are not well paid? How can incentives for reskilling be democratized so that they are not limited to those who are already more resilient to digital shocks and are more likely to take advantage of tax incentives and lifelong learning opportunities? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the development of digital skills?
This workshop took place in English and under the Chatham House Rule. It was hosted in partnership with Microsoft and belongs to a 4-part event series, in which we explore: 1) Lessons from past Industrial Revolutions; 2) A new Social Contract; 3) Automation and the Education Cycle; and 4) The policymaker’s Toolbox. These discussions ultimately aim to answer the questions: How can Europe, the U.S. and other industrial powers thrive in the face of the Great Decoupling? How can public policy efforts work to preserve and deepen the dignity of work and meaningful economic participation in the deep digital age?
