By Jason Foster, General Manager, Apprenticeships and New Business
At some point in your career, you’re going to need to evaluate your skills. It happens to us all, whether you’ve been in one career your entire working life or have hopped from job to job.
In our work at VERTO, helping people to find the right way forward in the career path they want is core to what we do. Here’s a list of the top four reasons why we think you need to examine up-skilling as an option.
It’s a rapidly changing world out there
We live in a time when the world around us is changing. As we move even further into the digital age, technology change is driving a massive shift in the way work. This is only going to change further as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) and other similar technologies take hold. The first line of defence for your career is ensuring that you are ready for this and are taking steps to plan for how your career will be impacted.
My first tip is to look at how you can upskill to take advantage of this trend. For example, with technology now delivering data to our fingertips how can you upskill yourself to better operate in this type of environment? This is especially important for older workers, where the adjustment to technology can be a tougher task. It’s the reason why programs such as Skills Checkpoint for Older Workers exist: to help you find the right career option at a time when change is rapid.
Losing your job
It’s the most dramatic reason but that doesn’t remove the fact that this can happen at any time. Whether it’s redundancy or a whole career ceasing to exist, losing your job can be a very difficult pill to swallow.
Options exist to help you find your feet again. Programs such as Career Transition Assistance or the Skills Checkpoint program referenced earlier can help you make the switch to a new career or role a much easier change.
Certification for the win
Like it or not, holding a certification in this highly competitive jobs market can make the difference in so many industries between being selected for an interview and being simply overlooked.
Employers are looking for candidates that have a recognised, tested skill set that they can bring into their business. It’s a something that you can easily check off by ensuring that you have taken the necessary steps to upskill yourself. A good example is in motor mechanics, where the role has changed so rapidly in the past 10 years that the need to retrain is paramount.
Better qualifications equals more opportunity
Following on from the above point, updating your skill set provides more opportunities not only by providing you with certification, but also by growing the opportunities you can apply for.
For example, gaining new skills can help you to transition into an entirely new career path, one that you may previously have overlooked or may not have known existed. There’s a known skills shortage in Australia, meaning that up skilling can provide huge benefits both for yourself and the economy. For example, we have a huge shortage in commercial chefs, meaning that if you’re prepared to shift careers, you can be almost assured of finding a role.
VERTO has a range of options available to help you find the right way forward. There are services and programs out there that can take some of the stress out of the situation, help you explore your options, and get you quickly on the path to your next job. Contact our team at VERTO to find out more about our programs and how we can help you.
