Get Skilled Or Die Part II
The skills needed to succeed in the workplace have changed over the years and are about to go through another transformation. Such change is not new as the first significant change in the skills needed to survive took place when our ancestors moved from being hunter-gatherers to use tools to work the land.
This change led to the growth of cities and development of factories and assembly lines in the industrial age, as machines complemented and started to replaced manual work.
The current change comes in the form of the information and digital age and promises to be more disruptive as it is affecting how we do everything.
One of the effects of the current changes is the way in which they are creating an abundance of jobs for people with the right skills and a shortage of jobs for people with the wrong skills.
To understand what is happening we need to realise the extent to which our world has become interconnected and the effect connectivity has on how we work and live.
The business world used to revolve around heavy industry, manufacturing and engineering but has now gravitated towards knowledge, information and intelligent management of large quantities of data.
Just as people were trained to develop traditional skills, new training is needed for new skills such as digital literacy, the ability to be creative and solve problems and the need for greater communication and self-direction.
One of the challenges lies in the fact that the education system does not yet recognise the need for such skills, as it continues to educate people in the traditional way for traditional jobs.
As a result, there is a significant skills gap between the demand from employers for people with the right skills and the supply of people with the wrong skills.
Looking to the future, the people, communities and countries that address the skills gap will gain significant advantage in creating jobs and wealth.
The world has entered a new era as areas such as digital technology, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence extend the boundaries of knowledge and change the skills we need to be successful.
SO, the effect of technology is causing fundamental change and the need for new skills inside and outside the workplace; and just like our ancestors we need to adapt to survive.
What do you think? Do you have the right skills? Get in touch, we would love to hear your views contact Nick on 028 8224 9494 or via Twitter @nick_oec.
