Codefi's Stapleton — A Q&A on the future of work

James Stapleton, co-founder of Cape Girardeau-headquarted Codefi, the co-working space and technology incubator focused on economic growth, agreed to answer a few questions from the Southeast Missourian about what he sees as the future of work — defined for this article as gainful employment — in the United States.

• In a world rocked by a two-year pandemic, two of every 10 gainfully employed persons work remotely now compared to just 3.4% before March 2020, according to www.earthweb.com. Do you see the work-from-home idea continuing now that the CDC has rescinded its COVID restriction recommendations for most of the country? Additionally, has remote work become the new normal — and is that a positive or negative trend, in your view?

It's difficult to talk about something like working arrangements without acknowledging our historic talent market constraints. As birthrates continued to decline and more people opt for part-time employment and nonemployment income generation, record numbers of baby boomers and prime-age workers left the market in 2020 because of COVID and the policies that resulted. This accelerated what the firm EMSI suggested was an approaching "sansdemic" — a time without people or when the U.S. doesn't have enough people to supply its workforce. Given the trends and lack of short-term solutions, the current market conditions will only become tighter and more challenging.

I am not sure we can overhype the changes taking place and I agree with the notion that this may be the largest societal change related to work we have seen since World War II.

For many of the digital industries and companies I have been involved in over the last three decades, remote work has been routine. The same talent shortages now facing most local industries and occupations have been a reality for tech companies and national or multinational corporations for some time and necessitated attracting a distributed creative, technical, and executive workforce. These workers have enjoyed the flexibility and other benefits of working from home, albeit remote from their employer, that local employees experienced when they were sent home from offices, schools, and stores.

For work that can be done from home or remotely, I believe demand for flexible work arrangements will continue to increase. Historically tight labor markets require employers to compete harder than ever to attract and retain talent, and accommodating flexible work is a key element of a desirable employment experience that won't go away as some have suggested or would like.

Access to flexible work will also be a growing part of occupational and career choices. As work becomes more digital and more digital occupations are created, lower-skilled workers will continue to be lured away to jobs that provide better pay, benefits, growth, and access to flexible working arrangements.

Whether flexible working arrangements are a positive or negative trend depends greatly on one's perspective. From my perspective as an employer who works almost exclusively with digital talent and work, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Granted, some adjustments are required to manage productivity and minimize loss of the organic personal and organizational development and collaboration resulting from face-to-face interaction. But flexible work provides a terrific opportunity to return some of the balance between work and life that has been lost in part by the invasiveness of constant digital connectedness. At Codefi, we just think of it as valuing people more.

• Gov. Mike Parson, in his Jan. 19 State of the State address, said, "Our relentless focus on workforce development and infrastructure is paying dividends." In case it is unclear, please define your notion of workforce development.

I think most people think of workforce development as all the policies, programs and activities that create, sustain, and retain a workforce with the skills and abilities to support business and industry. I also approach it from the individual perspective, which focuses on acquiring and maintaining skills and abilities that provide family-sustaining jobs and economic security.

From my unique experience as an employer, a professor and executive in higher education, and the founder of Codefi, a regional digital workforce and economic development services provider, I have witnessed the divergence and sometimes competing perspectives of these groups at the forefront of workforce development. In my opinion, the ideological gaps between these groups have never been broader then today.

• You have suggested historic shifts are taking place in how employers develop talent pipelines. Drill down on this, please. What do you mean?

What I suggested was that there are historic shifts taking place in how effective workforce development systems develop talent. There may not be a more important or complicated topic related to the future of work.

I believe a shift in thinking is required to implement a coordinated plan to better educate and train or retrain a larger group of workers with the specific skills needed by regional or regionally connected employers. We must accelerate the closing of the ideological gaps between employers and educators, and we can do so in ways that provide more individuals affordable access to employable skills on pathways for continued training, education, and development, and the economic security they seek. And this will help offset some of the talent supply shortages.

Many of the fastest growing industries driven by advances in technology provide high-quality occupational paths that begin with jobs requiring only entry-level skills. This is one of the reasons employers are placing more emphasis on skills and less on traditional education credentials, which along with cost considerations is attracting more individuals to shorter-term training programs focused on targeted skill delivery. Highly effective systems provide options for workers to gain additional training through non-credit and for-credit certificate programs at technical colleges and universities, that articulate to multi-year degree programs as individuals advance in their careers.

Unfortunately, entrenched incumbents in traditional workforce development and higher education operate systems that were designed and are incentivized to deliver longer-term credentials, including general education and experiences that go well beyond the occupational skills required to enter an increasing number of high-quality occupations. I am not suggesting the additional basic education and experience isn't valuable, but it does add considerable cost and time, which is a barrier for many individuals and constrains the talent supply for local employers.

The example I used is based on the work we do at Codefi to spur growth in the digital economy, but the same thinking applies to high-demand jobs in allied health and many high-demand skilled trades.

We can't underestimate the economic impact this shift is having on colleges and universities. Although they will receive historical increases in funding soon related to federal stimulus spending, these are not likely to be sustained beyond the next year or two. They are also valuable employers that add tremendous economic and cultural impact to a region.

We also can't continue to deny affordable access to modern, technical training that provides occupational pathways to a larger, more diverse group of workers. Not only will this help solve worker shortages, but it can also provide pathways out of poverty or to greater financial stability and success by removing access, costs, and unnecessary education as barriers.

We've had ongoing local conversations about this topic for many years, including the recent interest in trying to establish a local community. To orchestrate a highly effective pipeline model that serve the greater good will require much greater collaboration, transparency, and leadership than we have had, in my opinion.

• In July 2017, you announced a funding campaign to raise $1 million to provide access to tech education in grades three through eight to keep children engaged in learning skills necessary to function in this evolving century. What is the status of that campaign?

With the generous support of private individuals and some grant funding, we have raised $1.1 [million] to support the Youth Coding League (YCL). We began with just 10 schools and a few dozen students participating in the local area. At the start of the next school year, we anticipate YCL teams being in nearly 200 schools in eight or nine states.

The co-curricular program provides [fifth through eighth] graders access to coding education through problem-based and team-based learning that includes skill development and a unique playoff system. My partner Chris Carnell is responsible for creating the league and it was his vision to make being a successful coder just as cool as being the starting QB or the head cheerleader. The program was organized like sports teams with uniforms and competition, and as such, provides a place for young people to connect that aren't successful at or don't identify for athletic sports. And the benefits are also similar — students who are struggling to find their troop in school or be motivated to be successful in academics, find their anchor in the Youth Coding League.

• Jim Riley of Red Letter Communications talks passionately about what he calls "the 4th Industrial Revolution." What is that and why is it important?

The 4th Industrial Revolution was introduced by Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum and author of the book titled "The 4th Industrial Revolution" in 2016.

Klaus wrote, "The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production. The Second used electric power to create mass production. The Third used electronics and information technology to automate production. Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres."

These advancements have widespread implications both economically and socially. The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, are unlimited. These possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and quantum computing.

The economic and occupational opportunities presented by these developments will only be available to those trained with the skills and knowledge to develop and apply these technologies. This beckons the question — will this revolution drive an even deeper divide between populations who have access to the training, education and resources required in the 3rd Industrial Revolution, which were more widely available in more populated and affluent cities and regions?

• America's pastime, baseball, is on pause because of labor strife. You are a principal in Relentless Contenders, the new esports venture in Cape Girardeau and Paducah, Kentucky. For those of us who don't play video games, why is investing in gaming such a win-win for this nascent generation?

Imagine what baseball would be today if at some point there weren't training and development opportunities provided to anyone who liked to play baseball through Little League, Babe Ruth, and adult recreational leagues?

For those who aren't video gamers, which includes me, it might be surprising to know that viewership of esports events exceeded all major sporting leagues in the United States in 2021 except the NFL. According to Venture Beat, there are an estimated 234 million esports enthusiasts and another 200.8 million occasional esports viewers. In 2022, it's likely that the global esports market will generate somewhere in the ballpark of nearly $2 billion in revenue. This is a big deal, and it isn't going away.

To successfully compete in esports, players need all the same things players need in traditional sports. They need access to high-quality facilities (extremely high-speed computers and networks), coaches, and the opportunity to compete and have fun in school-based and recreational leagues. Our investor group wanted to make sure Cape Girardeau, Paducah, and the similar markets we plan to invest in provide these opportunities to youth and adults who find this form of competition and entertainment more desirable than the gridiron, court, or diamond.

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