Still unemployed? Whom to blame? Is it a poor education system, persistent poverty or low productivity? If we want economic growth and decent jobs for all, we have to break this vicious circle.

Education is the only means which can lead us to decent jobs, especially for young people. Lifelong learning is indispensable in order to keep up with the changing skills needed for being employable and to be in demand. Skill development is, therefore, an essential prerequisite for sustainable career growth. It can also contribute to facilitating the transition from informal to formal economy. Skills development is also essential to seize the opportunities and challenges to meet the new needs of the changing economy and new technologies in the context of globalization.

Skill development strategies should always be on the priority list at all stages of development for the reasons:

Skills Matching: To better forecast and match the provisions of skills, both in terms of relevance and quality with the market needs.

Skills Upgrading: To acquire skills according to the technological developments and be ready with the market demands. It is a deciding factor that can lead us from shrinking low productivity economic sectors and professions to, high productivity sectors and occupations. Such adaptations require regular and permanent reskilling, skill up-gradation, and lifelong learning to be employable and to remain competitive.

Skills development means more and better opportunities. It means, jobs are there where unskilled workers would never get an opportunity. Skills are a key to economic growth, businesses expanding and job creation. 

Skills training includes both technical and soft skills training and includes training through case studies, hands-on experiences, brainstorming sessions, group discussions, games, and more, in

⇒ Employability skills

⇒ Behavioral skills

⇒ Management skills

⇒ Personality development skills

⇒ Positive thinking skills

⇒ Technical skills

⇒ Conflict resolution

⇒ Critical thinking skills

⇒ Communication skills

⇒ Time management

⇒ Work ethics

⇒ Industry-specific skills

⇒ Supervisory skills

⇒ Teamwork

⇒ Business acumen skills

The target of firms for offering the skill upgradation is to boost confidence, improve efficiency, increase productivity and give a proper direction to the employee. 

Developing skills is an important step that takes the employee nearer to their goals and makes them a perfect fit for the job. The differentiating factor between an average performer and a great performer is that the latter has upgraded himself with some unique skill training program.

The advantages of Skill Development for Corporates:

Gone are the days when an employee was hired based on his knowledge, educational qualification, and work experience. The changing and rapid growth in the fields of technology has changed the hiring requirements. Skill Development results in a skilled workforce that proves to be a blessing for the company in the long run. Learning new skills or honing old ones helps in the personal growth of employees as well.

• The skill training program helps to bring the objectives of the employee and the organization on the same page. 

• Skills training is a ground where the employees become aware of the expectations of their company. 

• Proper training outlines the expectations and provides the necessary means via training to achieve them. 

• Skill training helps the employees to take on more responsibilities and complete new tasks with increased efficiency. 

• Companies are investing time, money and effort to enhance the skills of an employee which makes them feel valued and appreciated. 

• Employees who undergo a skill training program feel confident about their position in the company. 

• With the newly acquired skills, the benefits and salary also gets excellent compared to other organizations in the market, which encourages them to stay in the present firm and thus resulting in reduction in employee turnover rates. 

• Offering skill training to new employees assists in increasing their productivity levels. 

• People who have undergone a skill training program share a common bond which helps them in building a foundation for future teamwork. 

• They now start getting more involved in their jobs, and it leads to higher job satisfaction.

• A firm which is committed to a skills training program, is willing to hire someone who has great potential even though his skills are rusty or not at par with the required needs.

• Skilled people don't always need continuous supervision because the managers gets confidence that the program has made the employee efficient enough to handle the responsibilities on his/er own.

• This program puts its onus on identifying, training and nurturing the talents of an employee.

It's a reward for the long-time employees who get a lease on life with the offered program. If the employees are satisfied with their job, it becomes possible for a company to reduce its long-term staffing costs because satisfied employees will not go and seek new jobs.    

So to conclude, start acquiring new skills and get up and running to a fulfilling career.