The World Economic Forum predicts that 75 million jobs will be replaced or superseded by 2022 in 20 major economies. In addition, 133 million new roles are projected to emerge. And this means upskilling and reskilling are the future.
Upskilling vs. Reskilling
The definition of upskilling is to learn advanced skills that will upgrade your existing knowledge, so you can do your current job better. This process may also cover teaching employees new skills that can contribute to their productivity and the company’s success.
The definition of reskilling is to learn new skills that will allow you to do a different job. This opportunity may also train people to do different jobs that the company requires.
Why You Need to Upskill and Reskill Now
1. Prepare for the future
Business is unpredictable. However, you can control some parts of it by arming yourself with skills and learning that will equip you to shift to a new industry, task, or a new career.
2. It adds in-demand skills on top of your existing ones
Upskilling and reskilling empowers you to assess your own skills that will help you reveal unknown potential.
Whether you’re interviewing within your own company or a new one, reskilling shows the interviewer how well rounded you are and how well you can work with different teams. On the other hand, upskilling, will convey how passionate and committed you are to your craft.
3. It adds value to you and the company
It’s only logical to say that the best employees are the ones that create value for the business. Likewise, the most successful companies are the ones that create the best value for their consumers.
Acquiring more skills that are helpful to your company will make you a valuable asset. Honing your analytical and problem solving skills will allow you to be more productive. Showing people that you are flexible and can understand various roles will also make you a good candidate for promotions.
4. It boosts confidence
Improved confidence will come with you newly acquired skills. It will also keep your brain active, training your mind to handle a wide array of tasks or challenges. You’ll then find it easier to adapt to unpredictable changes in life as well. The more varied your life experience is, the more confident you become.
5. It opens you to more opportunities
Another major benefit of learning a new skill or upgrading an existing one is that it opens you to better professional opportunities. It gives you options. It opens the way to more possibilities and enables you to easily transition if you are looking to change careers.
Upskilling and reskilling are crucial in giving your career a boost. If you are encouraged by your company to attend workshops or training, always grab the opportunity to learn. Alternatively, sign-up for courses on your own at your own time whenever possible.
How to Start Your Upskilling or Reskilling Journey
Create a personal development plan for upskilling and reskilling.
Create your personal development plan. Managers do this with their teams, but you can also do it on your own because it allows you to stay aligned with your goals and dreams. It’s also a good strategy to bounce back when situations don’t work out as expected.
A personal development plan should include:
- Your clear goals
- Set deadlines for when you should achieve your goals
- List of threats and opportunities
- Skills that will fight those threats and capture those opportunities
- Means to measure and track your progress
Sign Up for Mobile Learning.
Remote learning is huge right now when it comes to learning and development. Instead of spending time watching videos online, you can use your smartphones or mobile devices for mobile learning.
The great thing about this is that you can take an independent and self-directed learning approach. Meaning, you can upskill at your own pace. This type of learning has a high completion rate complete with certification.
Allocate time for upskilling and reskilling.
Make it a priority to schedule the time you want to take the course or a class, and stick to it. Commitment is key to success.
Upskilling and reskilling don’t just improve your career; they also help the company be more efficient, enabling them to save more resources.
And it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Figure out what you need to improve on or what kind of skills you need to acquire. As the digital transformation continues to evolve at lightning speed, an effective upskilling and reskilling strategy will be very beneficial to the future of your career.
