Transforming the Future of Work: A Recap of the SBO Event at Carahsoft
On September 23rd, Carahsoft headquarters buzzed with excitement as industry leaders, C-Level executives, and learning professionals gathered for a groundbreaking event focused on “Becoming a Skills-Based Organization in the Age of AI.”
This collaborative lunch and learn session, hosted in partnership with Workera, brought together forward-thinking organizations to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping workforce development and the critical role of skills-first strategies.
Event highlights
The day featured an impressive lineup of thought leaders and interactive sessions designed to provide actionable insights into building AI-ready organizations.
Karen Fascenda, Chief People Officer at Udemy, delivered a compelling keynote that focused on how organizations must pivot from traditional hiring and development models to skills-centric approaches that can adapt to rapid technological change.
Executive Panel: “The Future of Work is Skills-First”
Moderated by Karen Fascenda, this discussion featured:
- Hugo Sarrazin, CEO of Udemy
- Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of Workera
- Dr. J. Keith Dunbar, CEO & Founder of FedLearn
The panel explored practical strategies for implementing skills-first organizational models and aligning AI technologies with workforce development initiatives.
The power of partnership: Workera + Udemy
The insights from the executive panel underscored the importance of strategic partnerships, such as the one between Workera and Udemy, in driving workforce transformation.This partnership represents a powerful opportunity to unite skills intelligence with skills enablement—delivering measurable workforce transformation at scale. For customers focused on productivity, agility, and ROI from learning investments, the strategic benefits are significant:
- Align learning to strategic capability gaps
- Quantify ROI on learning investments
- Enable dynamic talent strategies
- Unlock a unified learning + talent architecture
Workera tells our customers what to learn, Udemy ensures their teams learn it, and together, we assure them it worked.
This partnership exemplifies the kind of collaborative approach that can help organizations address the key challenges highlighted during the event, including the rapid obsolescence of technical skills.
Key takeaways for organizations
- The shrinking half-life of skills: technical skills become obsolete faster than ever in our AI-driven world. Organizations must create systems for continuous upskilling that match the pace of technological change.
- Employee expectations have evolved: today’s workforce expects learning experiences that are flexible, Career-relevant, immediately applicable, and technology-enhanced.
- Skills are the currency of value creation: without a proficient, AI-literate workforce, organizations cannot unlock AI’s full potential or maintain competitive advantage.
These key takeaways were echoed in the overwhelmingly positive response from attendees, who left with practical strategies for implementing skills-first organizational models, a clear understanding of how to measure and verify skill development, and actionable plans for addressing AI skills gaps.
Event impact and success
The overwhelming response from attendees—including CLOs, enterprise leaders, HR teams, and technical professionals—demonstrated the critical need for events like this. Participants left with:
- Practical strategies for implementing skills-first organizational models
- Clear understanding of how to measure and verify skill development
- Actionable plans for addressing AI skills gaps
- Strong professional networks to support ongoing transformation efforts
The September 23rd event at Carahsoft headquarters successfully showcased how organizations can navigate the complex landscape of AI transformation through strategic partnerships and skills-first approaches. The collaboration between Workera and Udemy represents a powerful solution for organizations serious about building AI-ready workforces.
As we continue to witness rapid technological advancement, events like this remind us that the future belongs to organizations that prioritize continuous learning, skills development, and strategic partnerships. The insights shared by our executive speakers and the practical solutions demonstrated through the Workera-Udemy partnership provide a clear roadmap for success in the age of AI.