The National Association of Software and Service Company ( NASSCOM ) gave an estimation that by 2022 about 54 % of employees will need significant re-skilling and upskilling. This is a reason why many organizations, institutes, countries, and many ambitious and aspiring individuals are orienting themselves towards learnings new things and unlearning old ideas, upskilling and reskilling or skill transformation.
Future Ready Workforce – In a rapidly changing world to meet future requirements making the workforce ready is a key priority to many organizations. There may be some ‘adaptability paradox’ still employees have to align themselves towards the future required skills to sustain and grow in the industry. Among many reputed and esteemed organizations Amazon, PWC, and JP Morgan are investing millions of dollars for upskilling and reskilling of its employees. Such huge investments are not only commendable but also probably a right proactive approach at the right time. Foreseeing the future and driving resources towards that is a major leadership trait.
Also Read: Why employee upskilling and reskilling is so important right now?
India as a country started its ‘Skill India Mission’ intending to provide market-relevant skills to over 40 crores of youth. Singapore one of the famous countries of Southeast Asia started its SkillsFuture program in 2016 and in recent pandemic downtime invested million dollars for upskilling and reskilling. The purpose is when the uptime comes, they can jumpstart in the new world with new or renewed skills.
Related Article: Daily Improvements -How to be a master in your field?
Future of Jobs Report – According to the ‘World Economic Forum’( WEF ), by 2025, it is expected to shift to 48% human and 52% machines or algorithms. There will be a co-existence of robotics, automation, and human empathy.
Picture by Andrea Piacquadio
McKinsey & Company as usual in one of their phenomenal and amazing article mentioned DELTAs ( Distinct elements of talent). They name it DELTA rather than skills because all those DELTAs are a mix of skills and attitudes. ‘Adaptability’ or ‘coping with uncertainty’ are attitudes. They have explained four broad areas- Cognitive, interpersonal, digital, and self-leadership. Further, the four broad areas are split with 56 foundational skills.
You may CLICK HERE and read the book ‘Skill it, Kill it’
Skills or Capacity or Self-development – Is only acquiring and developing only skillsets are enough? It May not be in today’s perspective. In today’s fast-paced time wherein every two days two exabytes of data get generated and technology keeps on changing rapidly. Technology even soon gets obsoleted and thereby consequently skills too.
Self-development and capacity building are more relevant than only acquiring skills.
Think of any industry. As more and more automation, robotics, artificial intelligence enter so only basic skills do not remain a priority. In the manufacturing sector, ‘welding’ is a skill. If tomorrow ‘welding’ becomes completely automated, then welding skills may not have any use. If cars turn to be driverless, what is the utility of ‘driving skill’!
So, skill is good, capacity is even better and stronger. Human capacities are mammoth. If old skills are at threat, then with the assistance of ‘intellectual capacities’, ‘social capacities’ and ‘ethical capacities’ they are likelier to find out another occupation or may get self-employed.
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Capacity Building –
‘ Intellectual Capacities’ would trigger actions to learn something new, relevant, and required with today’s change. Such capacities will prepare for future bewildering changes and will enable to cope up if specific skills get obsoleted.
Intellectual Capacities – Picture Mike Jones on pexels.com
‘Social Capacities’ are about how one can connect, relate and convey his messages and also reciprocate. Such traits are immeasurable and need to be nurtured on regular basis.
Social Capacities – Picture by Zun on pexels.com
‘Ethical Capacities’ are directives to be followed in case of obsolete skill holder. ‘Ethical capacities’ will show them the pathway to the harder right than the easier wrong. Artificial intelligence may occupy the space of ‘intellectual capacities’ but remain irreplaceable for ethical capacities and social capacities as well.
Our training, educational activities, resources should be directed towards developing such traits and characters. This will eventually build capacities that may be required for the world of tomorrow.
Click and Read a book on Amazon on Capacity Building
Look at lots of ‘Application ( app) based’ online platforms. Look at online cabs – Ola, Uber, etc., online food delivery apps– Swiggy, Zomato, etc., online education platforms – Byju, Toppers, etc. Such jobs did not exist even a few years back. Today that has created lots of avenues for jobs and business opportunities.
According to World Economic Forum ( WEF ), 65 % of children entering primary schools today will end up in jobs that do not exist yet.
So relevant ….!
This is the brief premise to understand the future requirements to enrich the skill library or developing newer competencies or building more capacities. The idea and context remain the same may be with different terminologies.
In our next article onwards consecutively, we shall be discussing and understanding SEVEN Top Most and Must Future Skills which are inevitable to succeed and sustain.
Read, learn, repeat and practice …. and make yourself FUTURE READY..
“ The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways” Robert Greene
Are you ready to learn the First Future Skill? Please follow the next article to be published soon ….
