DeepSeek’s Wake-Up Call: Are we ready for Rapid Skills Change? | FE Soundbite 782

February 1, 2025

Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 782: 1st February 2025 | DeepSeek's Wake-Up Call: Are we ready for Rapid Skills Change? | FE Soundbite 782

This week we have a really interesting Soundbite, as the fourth industrial revolution shows us how rapid innovation can instantly disrupt the world of work, tools, markets and skills needed. We explore the impact of Deep Seek, AI Agents, holographic technology and teaching delivery, while also covering crucial topics from tackling extremism to global lessons on Apprenticeships and SMEs

This is the weekly e-newsletter and e-journal by FE News: ISSN 2732-4095. We know life is busy, so here is a snapshot of the latest announcements and epic thought leadership articles from sector influencers and cool thinkers across FE and Skills this week on FE News

Gavin’s Reflective Perspective

The tech world got quite a shake-up this week with Deep Seek, China's new GenAI offering. It caught OpenAI and US tech giants off guard – and when I say off guard, I mean NVIDIA's stock dropped 17%, wiping out £589 billion in value in a single day! Why such a dramatic impact? The answer is massive Innovation = massive disruption! Deep Seek's approach uses far fewer NVIDIA chips, resulting in lower costs and a smaller carbon footprint. This isn't just a tech story – it's a wake-up call about the pace of innovation and its ripple effects across sectors, how fast technology and tools for work are changing and also the Skills needs.

How is DeepSeek affecting the FE and Skills sector? Well Richard Foster Fletcher wrote a cool article this week to reflect on the why?

Artificial Intelligence, AI Agents, and holographic tutors

Speaking of innovation ripples, we're seeing fascinating developments in AI and education. Deep Seek isn't the only cool stuff that has happened in AI and Skills this week. Richard Foster Fletcher also discusses the future impact of AI Agents on the FE and Skills Sector (and the future of work). Kiryl Chykeyuk shared some col insights on the future of Holographic technology in education, particularly holographic agents! How cool is that!?

Dr Gary F. Fisher and Dr Nicholas Bowskill, from the the University of Derby shared a really cool article on their research on Harnessing AI for Collaborative Learning.

Rapidly deployable Skills system

Now, you might be thinking, "I'm not an EdTech guru or AI expert – why should I care?" Here's my big-picture take: We're just at the start of the 4th industrial revolution, and as we have seen just this week, new innovations make rapid impactful changes on tools, on stock prices and soon these immediate changes will translate into skills need changes. Our skills system must be agile enough to rapidly adapt to industry needs, or risk becoming irrelevant. Skills are the backbone of innovation and productivity – they're what will drive current and future breakthroughs.

Productivity and Skills

Talking Productivity, this week is National Productivity Week, Mark Morrin wrote a great piece: Skills and Productivity: Why They Matter for Economic Growth and Prosperity ... a bit of a ronseal title for Mark's article. Eg it says it on the tin!

International lessons: Apprenticeships and SMEs

Lou Doyle wrote a really interesting article SME Engagement in Apprenticeships isn’t just a UK Problem. This article reflects on the recent report released from the Australian government ‘Skills for tomorrow: Shaping the future of Australian Apprenticeships’ which calls for a renewed focus on SMEs to reinvigorate engagement in apprenticeships. I'd highly recommend checking out Lou's article and picking up on what are the Global trends for employer engagement and Apprenticeships.

Help in Tackling Extremism

I also loved the really important article from my mate Dr Vikki Smith and Palvinder Singh: Safeguarding and Tackling Extremism in an Uncertain World. This is the start of a mini series, but is also massively important and helpful article. So I would really encourage you to check this out.

Big Announcements this week

Announcements, wow there have been a flood of them from Making FE Fit for the Future, to the Industrial Training Board Review Report, to tough new reforms proposed by DfE to tighten controls on university franchising arrangements and DfE announced a new Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (EYTDA).

So a massive Soundbite and what a fantastic blend of cool articles, thought leadership to help and enrich us, I have loved the content this week, I hope you find it helpful and interesting too!

Epic Exclusives Thought Leadership Articles

Our Top 3 Thought Leadership Articles This Week

SME Engagement in Apprenticeships isn’t just a UK Problem By Louise Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of Mesma, and the current National Apprenticeship & Skills Awards North East Skills Champion.

Skills and Productivity: Why They Matter for Economic Growth and Prosperity By Mark Morrin, Lifelong Education Institute

Safeguarding and Tackling Extremism in an Uncertain World By Palvinder Singh, Principal at Kirklees College, and Dr Vikki Smith, Executive Director, Education and Standards, at the Education and Training Foundation.

This week, we also had some other Epic Exclusives!

Harnessing AI for Collaborative Learning: Insights for Educators By Dr Gary F. Fisher, Senior Learning Designer at the University of Derby and Dr Nicholas Bowskill, Senior lecturer in Education at the University of Derby

Equity with a Capital E: The impact of psychological capital on Equity in HE and employment By Sorrel Knott, Research Executive at GotDis

EpAO Business Planning in 2025: Part 3: 10 Other Areas that may Shape your Business By Jacqui Molkenthin, Specialist support for End-point Assessment Organisations

DeepSeek and Beyond: How AI Agents and China’s Innovations Are Shaping Education and Skills By Richard Foster-Fletcher, Executive Chair of MKAI

Reshaping Higher Education with Holographic Technology By Kiryl Chykeyuk, CEO and Co-Founder, HYPERVSN

Turing, Innovation Grants and Decoding the Future of Humanity By Neil Wolstenholme, CEO for Kloodle