In today’s job market staying relevant means being in sync with the latest trends on hot skills, knowledge, expertise, and competence and steps to learn fresh skills and update existing ones.
Skill is the ability to perform a task with extreme proficiency. Practice and dedication are two factors that mould skills to perfection when theoretical understanding of concepts is strong.
The threat of obsolescence and replacement of jobs by new technologies like artificial intelligence has added urgency to stay on top of skills and competencies. There are also career counsellors who can give guidance based on individual profiles.
The skill gap that can impede career growth is well understood. This holds true in all organizations where people are employed. There must be vigil and self initiatives by personnel to upgrade skills and avoid the risk of being left behind to those who take timely actions and rise in career.
Honing skills will script new success stories as illustrated by the quote by Albert Einstein who credits his famous discoveries to inquisitiveness more than any great talent.
Certified skills are very crucial in career growth. Uncertified candidates have no value before hiring managers. Having a globally recognized certification for a skill guarantees a rise in career and attracts prestige, growth, and wealth.
To stay competitive and feel wanted, there must be training and skill up-gradation in enhancing career prospects in terms of on-the-job performance or tapping opportunities.
The PwC survey named ‘Insights and Trends: Current Programme and Project Management Practices’, notes 80 percent of high-performing projects mandate a certified project manager.
A globally recognized certification brings numerous benefits. All organizations want the best of skills from personnel to maintain an edge over competitors, boost revenue, increase customer satisfaction and launch new products and services.
According to data project management professionals (PMP) credential holders enjoy a bigger chance to earn more than $100,000 in the US, UK, UAE, and Australia.
From the hundreds of applications that hiring managers get professional certification takes a candidate to the top in shortlists. ManpowerGroup’s Talent Shortage Survey has noted that 34 per cent of hiring managers have complained of lack of technical competencies as the core issue behind talent shortage.
A recognized certification attests to the knowledge and skills in a practice area and lends an edge over uncertified candidates for the job. Skill up-gradation is a must to compete in a global economy and to keep pace with the latest knowledge from a global standard.
Certification obtained by upskilling and continued education can benchmark a professional as someone who can apply best practices and run mission-critical projects to a successful conclusion.
Training enables enhanced performance at the workplace. By updating on best practices and introducing common methodology teamwork and collaboration will get an enhancement.
To qualify for senior-level roles in-depth understanding of the practice area and outstanding domain expertise are crucial. For them, higher certifications will work as a badge of knowledge and skills that deliver good results to organizations.
Economic and social pressures are forcing people to change jobs and careers frequently. Continuous education is the sole way to acquire new skills and keep pace with a changing environment.
The need for continuous up-skilling is also a compulsion by technology expansion and innovation. No wonder, the scale of on-the-job training is expanding in America and Britain after some slow down in the last decade.
Manager surveys have noted that training and development had been the most important factor other than work-life balance for mid-level professionals. Companies and organizations are encouraging workers and dangling promotions and incentives to learn more.
Most workplaces are fostering a culture of knowledge-sharing and mentorships and have decent budgets to support course costs. This is the key to high productivity and competitiveness in the marketplace.
In the IT sector, continuous skills update is most essential. An example is the public cloud market expanding fast into a $200 billion industry. The sector needs a good number of cloud computing professionals who are duly certified and can steer the huge industry growth.
Many other domains such as e-commerce, m-commerce, business intelligence, big data, and analytics are also scouting for qualified branded specialists in respective technologies.
These days competition is so tough that qualifications with a time gap are not enough to survive. For a dream job, specific skills are required. That may include good communication skills, presentation skills and aptitude for collaborative work in a team.
These are skills not imported from any university, but something one needs to acquire in daily working life.
Continuous learning, growth, and development constitute an intelligent and sensible life plan.
There are many reasons to constantly acquire, master, and hone skills. Continuous learning aligns skills with opportunities and ensures qualifications justify demand and needs. But care must be taken to avoid fake certifications and take only authorized training courses.
So, now take a look at the avenues to upskill and reskill.
E-learning: For those facing the pressure of a tight schedule and not able to join a traditional training course e-learning is the best alternative.
Job training: This is a great way to acquire and master new skills without leaving the workplace.
Training and workshops: A traditional training course or workshop is useful. Many universities offer courses and conduct seminars. Many workshops also teach some skills including web design, coding, and programming.
Webinars: Webinars and YouTube videos are tools that help acquire and master new skills. They are concise and usable as manageable chunks. Instructional videos are available at any time while webinars can be on-demand.
Blogs: Look for interesting blogs and imbibe information and get guided for a wide range of skills. The point is clear-- certifications hold a bigger career opportunity. To conclude, training and skill up-gradation are pathways to career growth and value addition to the roles with many benefits.