Upskilling is the process of continuous learning and acquiring new, relevant skills that are in demand. In today's age, constant upskilling has gained importance the world is changing rapidly in terms of technology and new jobs, new markets are emerging at a faster pace. One needs to keep upskilling and stay updated in order to survive in the job market.
Upskilling is not an option but a necessity -Ashok Veda
It is the need of the hour for every individual to add new skills, improve technical knowledge, explore new things, and keep oneself updated with current trends. Many companies provide training and development facilities to their employees. Employees focus on improving their skill sets develop relevant competencies in order to excel in their jobs and develop themselves in different dimensions.
Why upskilling is important?
Upskilling helps you to evaluate and develop areas that you lack. The upskilling of employees' skills has now become one of the top priorities for many organizations.
A recent survey found that, out of 951 recruiters, 77% said that they are more likely to shortlist a candidate who tends to upskill regularly.
The reasons why upskilling is important are:
Rapid changes in the job role
Employees expect growth opportunities
Upskilling boosts employer satisfaction and saves money on recruiting new employees
Improve employee engagement and retention
It can improve the performance and motivate the employees
It helps your organization stay competitive and fill the skill gaps
Research says that only 14% of people upskill weekly, 18% monthly, and 20% quarterly. 20 % upskill only once in a year or 20 % who do even less and 4 % never upskill.
It's good for one's self-development to keep upskilling frequently and become a part of that 19% of people who upskill regularly!
Here are some of the ways in which you can find areas in which you can upskill yourself:
1. Evaluate your interests:
If you are doing your work with interest then you have to put less effort to achieve your goals.
Choose the career option that you are interested in. Love your work so that completing it becomes a fun activity for you.
Identify and evaluate your areas of interest. Take online courses to learn skills that are trending. Conduct market research. Look for the changes in the job market.
Understand what skills your organization values. According to that make a list of relevant skills that you are interested in and then go for learning them.
You can go for free self-learning modules offered by the organization and enhance your skills.
2. Think about the long-run:
Upskilling is more about improving yourself and becoming an asset for whichever organization you wish to apply for.
Analyze what recruiters want from you and attract them towards job-relevant skills that you possess.
Think about your long-term goals. Think where you want to see yourself in 5 years.
Accomplish your short-term goals so that you can go for your long-term goals.
Invest your time to build the skills required to fulfill your goals. Make a strategy in order to upskill yourself to turn challenges into opportunities.
3. Understand the skill gap in the current role:
Understand the skill gap in your current role and analyze the area in which you need to upskill. While developing the upskilling strategy for employees, companies first identify the skill gaps.
Organizations bridge these skill gaps by organizing training workshops. The job requirement keeps on changing and new skills are required to get the job done.
Companies either find new talent or fill the gap through upskilling. Therefore adding new skills to your existing ones or improving existing skills is the need to stay ahead in this highly volatile job market.
For example, data analysts need to improve their knowledge by learning data mining tools or machine learning. Stay updated with the current trends and technological changes.
4. Career mapping:
Career mapping offers areas of improvement within an organization and develops a plan for the same. It can be helpful for both employees and employers.
The employers analyze the requirements of new skills make plans in order to train their employees at each stage of their career. They create their own strategy on upskilling.
Career mapping gives you the direction that you need to achieve your goals, where you want to go to fulfill your goals. According to a survey, only 35 % of employees have a career map and helps them choose the right career. 65 % of professionals do not currently have a career map. Career mapping makes it easier to align your values with the company's values.
5. Relevant courses outside of the workplace:
The organization offers formal courses to acquire knowledge and skills. But beyond that, there are many courses available outside of the workplace.
Make a list of all areas you have an interest in and start searching for online courses. You can also attend webinars in order to know the current trends in markets.
You can do the online courses from well-known institutes and online learning platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, Kokoro, and Udacity. They offer specialized certification courses and you can learn a lot about advanced technology.
Search for the “MOOCs” – Mass Open Online Courses. MOOCs allow you to study for free with some of the leading educational institutions in the world.
6. Ask for stretch opportunities at work:
According to a report, 75 % of professionals said that the effective method of upskilling is an on-the-job stretch opportunity.
You can take external projects with people other than your organization to develop new skills and stand out in this competitive market. You will learn problem-solving skills and achieve leadership or teamwork qualities through such activities.
Take the initiative to start a conversation with higher authority or your boss and managers to find such an opportunity. Be proactive, showcase your skills that can be beneficial for the company.
Now that you have got an idea about how to find areas for upskilling, you can make a strategy to inculcate skills that are trending in the market.
Look at the job market and decide, whether your current skills are enough or you want to explore a new one. With this new normal, this is the time to upskill and gear up your career and start working in the right direction. Upskilling is a continuous process that helps to grow your career. You can develop skills and learn new technology with the help of resources available online.
So which new skill are you picking up to develop? Let us know in the comments.
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