UpSkilling: The key to career success
Jo Hadler
Careers and Employment Manager
BIMM University
Within a world that is ever-evolving (and more so since the pandemic), it is becoming increasingly important to keep up with the latest skills and technologies. According to Tamara Mago from Gallagher, more than one billion people will need to be reskilled by 2030 due to technological innovation.
Upskilling, or the development and learning of new skills, can be an extremely important element of career success. Whether you are just entering a new career or are an experienced professional, upskilling can help you stay relevant, competitive and increase the chance of career progression.
Why Does Upskilling Matter?
With technology advancing at a fast pace, many traditional jobs are being replaced by automation and artificial intelligence. This means that individuals who don’t adapt and evolve risk becoming replaced, so it’s time to make yourself FUTUREPROOF.
Upskilling can help you stay ahead of these potential changes as well as help you remain motivated and engaged. Looking for ways in which to make yourself invaluable can be challenging and timely, but is important and ultimately, very rewarding. In addition, as reported by the World Economic Forum, upskilling may lead to not only better job prospects,but greater job satisfaction and higher earning potential!
What Should I Do Before Upskilling?
Be prepared! Upskilling requires continuous commitment to your learning and self-improvement. Before starting on your upskilling journey, you should plan out and think about the following:
Identification of your Skill Gaps
The first step to upskilling is to identify what skills are useful or in demand within your sector. Looking at job adverts or industry reports can help you to determine which skills are most in-need. You can then begin to note which skills you already have and which ones you need to develop.
Development of your Personal Learning Plan
Once you have identified the skills you need to upskill, a learning plan should be implemented. This plan should include how you want to work on developing these skills and should also include short, medium and long term goals within your plan. Having smaller goals will enable you to complete the larger goals. This helpful outline by Loughborough University explains goal setting in more detail.
How Do I Upskill?
Below are some different ways in which you can upskill:
1. Education and Courses
Depending on your goals and learning style, there are a variety of ways you can upskill. You may wish to go down the formal education route. This would involve pursuing Further Education, Higher Education or a certification program all of which have structured learning and recognised credentials. Since the pandemic, many more courses now offer online studying options, which can make it easier to study in your own time.
There are many online learning platforms that offer a wide range of courses on different topics, including: Coursera, Futurelearn, Udemy and LinkedIn Learning.
2. Industry Conferences, Workshops and Seminars
Structured education and undertaking a course is not for everyone, so a more accessible way of upskilling can be to attend conferences, workshops and seminars related to the field you are interested in. These can provide valuable insights, information, and amazing networking opportunities. You can find a list of worldwide industry conferences HERE.
3. Self-Directed Learning
Self-directed learning can be underrated. Reading books, listening to podcasts, and following leading industry professionals on social media can be a very effective way of staying informed and to develop your knowledge. Click here for an interesting episode of the CIPD Podcast about Self-Directed Learning.
4. Speak to your Employer
It’s important to remember that many employers are happy too ffer opportunities or assistance for employees to learn new skills. It’s always worth raising this with the company you work for to see if there is any scope for you to sign up for relevant training, workshops, or seminars. Here is a list of Staff Skills Training Courses that might help you get started.
I’ve Up-Skilled. Now What?
Once you have begun your upskilling journey and have acquired new, brilliant, and relevant skills, you should work at applying them straight away within your current role. If this is not possible, make sure to seek out opportunities to practice them in a real-world setting.
You should remember to seek feedback from colleagues, managers and/or peers. By asking for feedback, you will be better able to identify areas for improvement and adjust your short, medium and long-term learning goals and plans accordingly.
If you aren’t sure how to use feedback, here are some powerful feedback models.
To Conclude…
For industry professionals looking to be successful and to meet the ever-changing demands of the job market, it is important to commit to both your professional and personal development. By identifying areas and skills in which you are lacking, you can then build a learning plan whereby you are able to upskill and ultimately futureproof your career.
Remember that upskilling is a lifelong process, and the most successful professionals are those who are committed to continuous learning and self-improvement.