It’s often difficult to manage and maintain a work-life balance so adding skill training or upgrading a potentially already established catalogue of skills is usually not high up on the priority list.
It is important to recognise that when we ignore our personal development, we risk getting left behind – whether it’s skills used for a hobby or for work. From a workplace and technological standpoint, investing in learning and self-development will not only help you stay ahead of the curve but maintain your relevance and to ensure your future career success.
According to research conducted by Manpower Group, 65% of the jobs the GenZ population will have, at present, do not even exist. As a result of this finding, one of the key skills and talents that will be valued in workplaces of the future will be the ability to learn and gain new skills and show dedication to this.
Allows you to remain relevant
Learning a new skill will allow you to broaden and progress your personal and professional developments, keeping you up to date and relevant within your industry. When technology or products innovate, you won’t be left trailing behind as you will be aware and prepared for these advancements.
Truth be told, it is important that if you wish to compete in today’s job market, you must be aware of specific trends and adapt your skills to match. It’s not advisable to overload on courses and attend everything, it’s important to think about your current and future learning and how you can use these new skills to stay ahead of competitors and remain relevant.
Upgrade Work to become a global professional
Organizations around the world have realized the importance of filling their skills gap in order to have an edge over competitors, boost revenue, increase customer satisfaction and accelerate the development of new products and services. In such a scenario, as the demand for skilled professionals becomes more acute, certification holders have an edge. For instance, Project Management Professional (PMP) credential holders have the opportunity to earn more than $100,000 in the US, UAE, UK and Australia.
Stand out from the crowd
For hiring managers who are inundated by applications for coveted jobs, a professional certification on a resume can help them select the cream of the crop for a particular role.
In fact, according to the ManpowerGroup’s ‘2013 Talent Shortage Survey’, 34 per cent of hiring managers globally have cited a lack of technical competencies (or hard skills) required for a particular role as the chief factor contributing to talent shortage. A globally-recognized certification attests to your knowledge and skills in the practice area and can give you an advantage over uncertified candidates for the job.
Command a higher salary
The world has changed, and the skills that used to be in demand are no longer so relevant. You can still get a good job if you have a set of skills in demand, but if you want to command a higher salary, you need to upgrade your skillset.
People are always in need of higher remuneration. This is because there is a huge gap between the salary of the top earners in a company and the lowest earners. However, this concern is not a big one because you can always upgrade your skills to earn more money. You could get an MBA, learn to code, or speak another language.
Compete in a global economy
Certification training and skill upgradation bring you up-to-speed with the latest knowledge in your practice area from a global perspective. With this education, you can benchmark yourself as someone who can apply best practice methodologies to any work scenario and drive mission-critical projects to a successful conclusion anywhere in the world.
