Upskilling to Future-Proof Your Career
How to remain viable in the workplace when change is inevitable
Australia is in recession for the first time in thirty years, with high unemployment rates and health concerns being faced on a global level.
Every employer is trying to find the right balance between addressing short term sustainability needs and reassessing long-term growth strategies.
Rapid digitisation and automation are on the agenda for most business leaders, to drive efficiencies and tactically recoup losses from the pandemic, but also to respond to new consumer demands and remain relevant in the future.
Market volatility and an uncertain economy mean change is inevitable and it is vital we embrace a constantly evolving landscape to remain viable in the workplace.
COVID-19 saw five years of workforce digitalisation compressed into five months, with many businesses moving online when the pandemic hit. With the Government prioritising and accelerating digital transformation by expanding on its plans to bring the benefits of adopting digital technologies to businesses and households, we will see jobseekers have greater access to more job opportunities. In turn, employers will have a highly skilled, candidate rich market right at their fingertips.
The world’s largest work from home experiment has blown-up the numbers of remote and regional workers nationally which has created the demand for the acceleration of digital technologies to increase productivity and job growth is vital for economic recovery. Now is the time to invest in the development of skills that help future proof your career.
From an upskilling and reskilling perspective, the Government has announced two key skills-related plans in the federal budget:
- A $2 billion skills package dubbed JobTrainer, targeted at the vocations and trades
- A JobMaker plan that will see government reform the vocational education training sector by carrying out Skills Organisation Pilots designed to help the industry have a greater say in the training system. The wage subsidy scheme is aimed at helping to pay wages of new apprentices and trainees.
The JobTrainer and JobMaker skills initiatives are a start, but these programs are largely targeted at the vocational and trades sectors. To widely address unemployment and underemployment through the recession, we need to see training, upskilling and reskilling programs for Australians implemented across a whole host of sectors – particularly when it comes to fortifying digital skillsets.
During the first lockdown Adecco redeployed many people from industries and jobs that were impacted into industries and jobs that were less impacted. For job seekers looking for either a new position or career progression, it is important to think outside of the box and demonstrate a mindset of agility, flexibility, and resilience. Being able to identify your transferrable skills and an aptitude for learning is what is consistently sought by potential employers.
Allocating time to upskill in soft skills and digital capability is a sound career investment. Microsoft are collaborating with Adecco on their new skills initiative offering a rage of free online training for people to increase their chances of getting a job during this time and beyond. Training is free and open to anyone via the Adecco website: www.adecco.com.au.
