Skill development is globally considered a key factor for productive employment, a means for increased productivity, inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction. Skill development means to acquire productive capabilities through all levels of learning and training in a formal, non-formal, informal and on-the-job setting. Skills development helps to meet changing demands and opportunities of economy and labor market. The acquisition of capabilities depends on different factors as a quality lifelong learning system and a supportive learning environment. It is a crucial aspect of personal and professional growth and relevant in a rapidly changing job market.
Many companies invest in employee training programs to enhance workforce abilities and adapt to industry changes. This is an essential part of CSR and offers an advantage in regards to employer branding.
Types of skills for employment can be divided into:
Basic and foundation skills
Transferable skills
Technical and vocational skills
Professional and personal skills
Basic and foundation skills are acquired through primary and secondary formal school system or non-formal, informal learning processes. These are pre-requisites for further acquisition of skills.
Transferable skills are skills that enable people to adapt to different work environments and improve career-building opportunities. They include abilities like learning, adapting, solving problems, communicating effectively, thinking critically and creatively and managing self and others.
Technical and vocational skills are specialized skills that involve the knowledge of how to perform specific duties or tasks. TVET are a central pillar of sustainable and viable economic development. An International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training exists within the UNESCO with Headquarters in Germany.
Professional and personal skills include attributes like honesty, integrity, reliability, work ethic and judgment. Skills development is an integral part of lifelong learning.
Lifelong learning is a much broader approach than education. In an education system that provides lifelong learning opportunities policy and practice, every single person will be empowered through a flexible and diversified range of useful learning and training options throughout lifetime.
How can I evaluate and improve my skills as an employee, which ones do I have to reinforce?
- Assessment
Identify strength and weaknesses yourself. Become aware of what you enjoy doing and what you excel at as well as where you may struggle a bit. Analyze requirements for the actual or desired job.
- Set goals
Once you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses, make a list of skills to improve and skills to add. Job postings can help you with this, they list requested / must have skills and optional ones that add value.
Define goals you want to reach within a timeline. Emphasize on the ones you enjoy strengthening. Think about measures.
- Feedback
Feedback is a part of assessment. Ask colleagues, supervisors and mentors. Constructive criticism makes you understand where your limits of growth are. Others do see you and your skills in a more objective way.
- Training
As you know which skills you want to improve look for options to do so. Check out if there are options provided by your company in form of financial support, timewise (Bildungsurlaub – days off for education are legally determined) support or concrete offers. Attend workshops, courses or seminars related to the skills you want to improve or add. Online platforms like Coursera, Udemy. And LinkedIn Learning offer a wide and valuable range of options, even for free. You may consider a Master, several are offered for fulltime working employees.
- Practice
Apply the newly acquired skills and see what happens. If your work is becoming more productive and efficient and, above all, you enjoy it more, you focused on the right skills to solidify. The application of the new skills should become a habit, morph into your system.
- Mentorship
If you manage to find a mentor within your organization or your industry you will have constant feedback and somebody who can teach you a lot through experience and existing skills. A mentor is an objective person who can assess and advice both on the skills itself as for where and how to acquire them. Sometimes, it can simply be learning by doing in a different way.
- Networking
The same learning opportunities can arise from engaging with professionals in your network. Engaging with professionals in your field you can learn from their insights and experiences.
- Reading and Research
Staying updated with industry trends and best practices helps you assess yourself and understand where you have to adapt and acquire new or improve existing skills.
- Projects
Get involved in projects where the skills you are focusing on to enhance are needed and applied. Volunteer for projects that align with your skill development goals. Practical experience is valuable.
- Feedback Loop
Regularly review your progress and have it evaluated by others, adjust goals and keep refining your skills.
Remember that skills development is an ongoing process, be patient and persistent.
Acquiring more and better skills does boost your self-esteem.
Now, what is the relation between skills-development and self-enhancement and what is the benefit of self-enhancement?
Self-enhancement is the process of actively working on improving oneself in various aspects of life. Skills-development is a part of self-enhancement as are improving knowledge, behavior patterns and generally the state of well-being. The idea is to continuously strive for improvement and become a better version of oneself through setting new goals to reach, seeking opportunities for learning and growth, cultivating positive habits, developing new skills, fostering a growth mindset. The pillars and benefits of self-enhancement are:
- Personal Growth
- Increased Confidence
- Career Advancement
- Adaptability
- Better Relationships
- Resilience
- Goal Achievement
- Positive Habits
- Better Problem-Solving
- Better Quality of Life
Self-enhancement leads to a sense of purpose, satisfaction, continuous improvement, growth and self-esteem. It is a subjective concept leading to inner and outer success when applied consciously, consistent and continuously.
Skills-development is more concrete, leading to the fulfillment of set personal and especially professional goals.
Within the framework of ESG and CSR, employers should support skills-development and self-enhancement in various ways.
Morgan Philips does provide general and individually tailored options for skills-development and self-enhancement.
Analyze, become aware, ask questions, take action and grow!