Future Skills 101
FIVE CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL UPSKILLING STRATEGY
By Sashya D’Souza
Increasingly, HR leaders are being tasked with building
their organization’s future workforce – one with the skills
needed to effectively leverage rapid advancements in technology,
to propel their business forward in today’s progressively
competitive environment.
While acquiring new talent continues to be part of the solution,
upskilling, a key talent development strategy, has become
more important than ever. As the adoption rate of technology
intensifies across organizations of all sizes and in all industries,
organizations are witnessing the convergence of key in-demand
skills required by multiple sectors simultaneously. This has led to
heightened competition for technically-skilled talent and a widening
skills gap. Organizations that place a renewed focus on the
development of their existing workforce as an integral part of their
human capital strategy will come out on top.
hr career path
A recent Toronto Finance International (TFI) report entitled
“Unlocking the human opportunity: harnessing the power of a
mid-career workforce” recommends five critical actions that organizations
can take to cultivate the future-proof skills they need
through upskilling.
1. MAKE LIFELONG LEARNING A PRIORITY
FOR EVERYONE
A recent digital transformation study by Deloitte and MIT found
that 73 per cent of employees in top performing companies are
updating their skills every six months and 44 per cent are updating
them continuously.
Employees are responsible for their own upskilling. However,
organizations can help by fostering a culture of lifelong learning
within the workplace. This begins with executive-level support
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