Thursday 14th August 2014
DO YOU HAVE THE SKILLS TO GET A JOB?
Each week Nick O' Shiel, Chief Executive, Omagh Enterprise Company, blogs on issues related to enterprise, technology and the economy. This week Nick asks if you have the right skills to get a job.
There is little doubt that the skills you have will determine the level of success you enjoy in the workplace of the future. Employers are willing to invest in people with the right skills and less inclined to invest in people without the skills they need.
For many years, it has been seen as the responsibility of government to provide people with the skills employers want. In the future, however, employers, employees, education and government all have a role to play.
Employers
Employers need to be more creative in how they attract people and imaginative in how they engage and retain staff for the long-term.
They have to play a greater role in training and invest in working with people to develop the range of skills they need on an on-going basis.
Employers, themselves, have to manage a more flexible and diverse workforce, as employees move between jobs with greater freedom and regularity.
Employees
Employees need to be more flexible in how they work, where they work and when they work, as the nature of work and the needs of employers are constantly changing.
They have to take responsibility for their own training and development in a world where employers value people who are ‘work ready’ and able to add practical value.
Employees have to consider how they learn, what they learn and when they learn and commit to lifelong learning, regardless of their particular role or responsibility.
Education
Education has to work more closely with employers to understand what they want and the changing nature of what they need to stay competitive.
It has to embrace disruption and develop the capacity to deliver quality teaching and learning across a variety of traditional and digital platforms.
Education has to deal with reduced budgets and create new income streams while maintaining standards of delivery for students.
Government
Government has to enable a flexible learning environment and manage smaller budgets in a way that ensures the up-skilling and re-skilling of as many people as possible.
It has to listen to employers and encourage employees to play a more active role in taking responsibility for their own career needs and development.
Government has to support people with low-level skills or no skills to ensure they are not excluded from the labour market or ignored by employers.
SO, in a world of change new jobs are being created every day and success depends on the skills you have and the skills you get.
What do you think?
Do you have the skills to get a job?
Join the conversation and leave a comment.