With today’s rapid advances in tech, skills can become obsolete before they have been mastered. IBM, one of the most respected names in IT innovation, published a study last September predicting the need to retrain up to 120m workers in the world's 12 largest economies. Why? Advances in AI and intelligent automation. Some 5,670 global executives in 48 countries participated in the study — and only 41 percent of the CEOs canvassed expressed confidence in having the right mix of people, skills and resources to achieve targets. IBM encourages modern professionals to sharpen their skills through a process of life-long learning. The company has created libraries of educational content, including courses that confer industry-recognised certification, podcasts, blog posts, articles, videos and tutorials. It partners with Global Training Providers to provide learning programmes that boost employee engagement and retention as well as productivity, efficiency and cost savings. Individual learners can seek training through approved providers, or create an IBM learner profile and begin a personalised learning journey. A subscription service opens up the catalogue for those who wish to explore content as interests or projects dictate — at a discounted rate. In March 2020, in response to the Covid-19 crisis, IBM announced it would be offering many of its educational programmes free-of-charge, enabling people around the world to future-proof their careers and emerge from the quarantine with in-demand skills. The CFI.co judging panel is pleased to present IBM, a repeat winner, with the 2020 global award for Outstanding Workforce Training.