Prioritizing skills for jobs

The newer the technology, the better the job opportunities. This is the universal fact, for all employers are recruiters are in the race to find candidates who are ahead of the curve in the skills. Every new trend or technology might have caused some people to lose their jobs, but there’s no denying the fact that they created more opportunities too.

With new technologies springing up at breakneck speed, the workplace skills gap is slowly becoming a chasm that is becoming increasingly challenging to fill. Finding the right person for the right job is easier said than done. In some areas, robots are fast replacing manpower and rendering job opportunities obsolete. But let’s look at the larger picture. Robots are a very minuscule part of the tech sector. There are plenty of other opportunities that call for skilled specialists and manpower, thus creating the right environment for upskilling initiatives.

A top USA tech job portal throws light on the fact that corporate giants are ready to pledge money to upgrade the skills of their workforce.

The significance of upgrading your workforce

Whether big or small, your workforce is your organization’s backbone. When experience still holds significance in a candidate’s portfolio, it does not make sense to relieve existing employees from a job just because they are not in sync with the trending technologies.

Corporate giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have already put their plans in place to upgrade employees instead of replacing them. For those lucky candidates taking up Salesforce jobs, they have the backing of the company that has already pledged money to upgrade their skills.

Upskilling initiatives of US corporate giants

Check Out – Some of the top IT and corporate companies in the USA have already primed themselves to do what’s best for their workforce: retain and upgrade them. Here’s what some of the most prominent companies have done in terms of upskilling initiatives:

• Amazon’s workforce is a mixed bag. The company has invested nearly $700 million to upskill its entire workforce, irrespective of their roles and designations. Amazon’s investment includes curriculum redevelopment, technical programs, and certification courses to enrich the skill sets of its employees.
• Salesforce has taken on a more ambitious approach to upskilling its workforce. More than half a million employees with Salesforce jobs are entitled to free training.
• Google’s “Grow with Google” initiative trained over 3 million workers in the USA. The search engine giant is all out to help students, military personnel, educators, and tech professionals with its certificate programs.
• Microsoft’s initiative came as a massive relief to US employees who had faced the brunt of the pandemic. Microsoft joined forces with LinkedIn and GitHub in June 2020 to upgrade the tech skills of people who had lost their jobs, thus putting them in the line of better opportunities.

Four important steps company’s need to take for upskilling initiatives

While some companies have already geared themselves to do the needful for their workforce, there are plenty of others who are yet to combat the challenge. Here are the four ways to get things rolling to prepare your workforce:

1.Upgrading to automation and machine learning

There are certain things that automation can do better than manual labor, especially for IT enterprises that need to focus on innovation for the sake of their business. Automation simplifies complex documentation processes and code translation. Within machine learning and automation it would be impossible to bring about better innovations.

2.Instill IT education in schools

Schools and colleges are the perfect environments to inculcate and nurture the love for IT skills. Early training ensures a super-strong foundation and creates curious minds that are always ready to upgrade themselves. Many colleges across the USA are offering specialized programs for cloud computing and cybersecurity.

3.Widen the hunt for talent search

Great talent is often found in the most unusual of places. Companies should adopt a broad outlook when looking for the right candidates, rather than resorting to cliches and precedents. Diverse talents can be found in communities that are often overlooked or avoided. Diversity in talent is the hallmark of a great employee ecosystem and an important factor for surviving fierce competition.

4.Retain and upskill employees

Nurturing and retention is the key to surviving a highly competitive job market. Providing your employees with regular hands-on training, agile projects, valuable lectures, and experimentation creates a win-win situation for everyone.

Rather than being afraid of the constant changes, it is better to rise to the occasion and act accordingly. The rewards are rich and extremely beneficial for the organization and the employees.