The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating a “triple capability gap” in skilled trade, technical and service occupations, as education and training systems struggle to keep pace with changing job requirements, according to new research from Pearson.
The report titled, For Every Future: Preparing Early-Career Skilled Trade, Technical and Service Talent for an AI-Infused World, highlights a growing challenge for occupations that underpin essential services across hospitals, factories and infrastructure.
AI is increasingly changing how these workers perform their jobs, while experienced employees are also retiring and taking decades of practical knowledge with them.
Pearson said this combination risks leaving early-career workers with exposure to AI but insufficient practical experience and job-specific skills.
Three capabilities workers increasingly need
According to Pearson, workers in skilled trade, technical and service occupations increasingly need to combine three capabilities.
The first is role-specific AI literacy and critical judgment, knowing when to use AI, when to question its outputs and how to apply it safely and responsibly.
The second is human capabilities, including communication, collaboration, adaptability, emotional intelligence and learning agility.
The third is practical and institutional knowledge traditionally developed through experience and passed from senior workers to newer employees.
The research argues that education and training systems need to evolve to develop all three capabilities rather than treating
AI literacy as a standalone skill.
AI is reshaping jobs beyond office work. The report noted that much of the discussion around AI and employment has focused on office-based knowledge workers, while skilled trade, technical and service occupations have received less attention.
However, AI is increasingly becoming part of day-to-day work in these roles, making human judgment, safety and oversight more important.
The research cites the UK pharmacy sector, where one industry participant said revising pharmacy technician education and training standards can take two to three years. Meanwhile, fewer than half of industrial machinery mechanics surveyed said their training was preparing them for AI-enabled work.
The report also highlights the growing demand for skilled workers as experienced employees leave the workforce.
In the UK, 99% of skilled job openings are linked to replacing workers who retire, change careers or otherwise leave the workforce, while the corresponding figure in the US is 98.5%, according to Pearson’s analysis.
This means employers face not only the challenge of filling vacancies but also of transferring practical expertise to the next generation of workers.
Workplace learning becomes more important
Pearson said closing the capability gap will require closer integration between education, training and workplace learning.
This includes developing role-specific AI literacy, strengthening durable human skills and creating more opportunities for workers to develop practical expertise through mentoring, observation, feedback, simulation and hands-on experience.
The potential consequences extend beyond recruitment challenges, particularly in safety-critical roles.
In the research, 98% of surveyed pharmacy technicians said exactness and accuracy were extremely important to their work, while 44% rated the consequences of errors as extremely serious.
Sharon Hague, President, English Language Learning and UK CEO at Pearson, said workers in critical occupations will increasingly need to combine AI judgment, human skills and hands-on expertise.
“If we don't rethink how expertise is developed, the gap between what employers need and what workers can do will continue to grow,” Hague said.
The research draws on labour market and AI exposure analysis in the US, UK and China, alongside surveys, interviews and roundtables with employers, educators, industry bodies, workforce experts, students and early-career workers. It also includes detailed analysis of pharmacy technician and industrial machinery mechanic roles.