Upskilling – providing employees with more advanced skills through additional education and training – is fast becoming the new buzzword in today’s rapidly evolving job ecosystem. These changes are coming fast and furious and require the ability to quickly adapt to avoid being left behind or worse, finding your position being eliminated by AI.

Upskilling – why now? Upskilling is certainly not a new idea, but in the same way that the economic landscape has been reshaped, the essence of upskilling has changed and has been redefined. It was common for someone with certain job or professional skills to rely on those skills for 15-20 years. With the velocity of changes taking place, this has shortened to 3-5 years at best. For professionals with more technical skills, that window is probably even shorter. In order to stay relevant, it is necessary to constantly review the skills that are needed to continue to contribute positively to the organization.

There have been numerous studies conducted on this topic and the general consensus is that the skills of today’s workforce simply won’t match the jobs of tomorrow. On top of that, newly acquired skills may quickly become obsolete. Some of the factors contributing to this include the advancement of technology, globalization, increased competition and of course, Covid-19. All of these have become contributing factors that are driving monumental changes in the workplace and a need for acquiring new skills.

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Here come the robots. The idea of robots taking the place of humans, even in the workplace, is nothing new. Movie scripts have imagined a future where they replace not only human labor but human emotion. Over time, the lines between fiction and reality have become more and more blurred. Fortune magazine predicts that within 15 years up to “40% of the world’s jobs will be replaced by robots capable of automating tasks.” Meanwhile, up to 1.5 million jobs in England are at risk of being automated in the future, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In spite of how ominous this sounds, all is not lost. By acknowledging that these changes are on the way and adapting to them by acquiring the necessary skills to keep up, our workforce can stay ahead of the curve.

It’s a small world after all. The pandemic has forced nearly every company and every job performed to shift significantly in order to meet demand. The globalization of business is opening the door to many new jobs that require different levels and types of skills. At the same time, many lower and medium-level jobs are being quickly eliminated and replaced with automation. Given the pressure on rising costs, businesses are always looking for ways to reduce costs and the harsh truth is that much of that efficiency is being accomplished by technology.

So, what does this mean for us right now? As we all know, the only constant in business is change. This includes the future of work. It is certain that organizations will continue to adopt leading-edge technology, and this includes automation that can complete many lower-level tasks common to most businesses. This makes it more critical than ever that advancing skill levels becomes a priority for everyone in the workforce. In addition to upskilling, workers should also look to acquire new skills that will allow them to step into alternative careers.

Staffing firms on the cutting edge have recognized the need for talent to have access to both informal and formal training opportunities so they can enhance the skills of their workforce. This has led to many of these firms acquiring or developing programs that provide for just such skills training. The future of the staffing industry may well depend on its ability to not just place talent but actually develop talent. And that is something that the market will most definitely embrace.

MORE: Why upskilling is more critical than ever

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Based on our own internal data, both direct hire and temporary job growth for industrial truck operators in distribution centers has nearly doubled in some key markets, and hourly pay rates have risen as much as 50%. Furthermore, Indeed recently saw a 6% spike in forklift operator job postings spread out across the country. With package delivery booming, the hiring companies expect certified, safety-minded candidates to fill these roles.

New Collaboration

That’s why the Adecco Group Foundation US partnered with our client—a luxury home goods brand—to invest in innovative forklift training. The client had a high demand for forklift drivers and high expectations for their performance. And the candidates had a strong desire for advanced training in order to feel confident as they started their new careers. It made perfect sense to combine our own training acumen with the virtual reality experience.

New Training

Speaking of virtual reality, what a way to train people! Not only is it engaging and enjoyable, it provides a very real—yet not quite real—environment. The client’s Adecco associates sat in a real forklift and used the controls to conduct all sorts of maneuvers in a virtual warehouse. They familiarized themselves with the machine’s nuances and safety measures. And a Raymond employee was on hand the entire time to answer questions and ensure the technology ran smoothly.

Learn more about the training and listen to the impact it made by watching our mini documentary.

New Impact

The associates gained confidence, ramped up quickly, appreciated the investment in their development, increased their earning potential, and added a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certification to their resumes. The client increased early retention, maintained productivity, improved inventory management efficiencies, and enhanced workplace safety. A true win-win.

“Totally, it helped me out… it got me ready for the job. The main key is safety. I feel like I’m ready and I can operate a forklift.”

-Armando, Adecco Associate

“I definitely see the excitement in my associates. Being able to tell them that they’ve been hand selected from their leadership (for this training)… it was pretty awesome to see their reactions.”

-Cynthia, Onsite Supervisor at Adecco

It’s success stories like these that continue to push the Foundation forward. Whether it’s certifying forklift drivers, assisting athletes with career transitions, or helping veterans enter the civilian workforce, the march continues on.

Get in touch with your local Adecco team to discuss custom training, onboarding, and HR solutions for your unique workforce needs.

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Is overhauling your career a part of your New Year’s resolutions? You’re in good company. According to our research, nearly 2 in every 5 people are changing jobs or considering a new career in the new year.

Whether you’re looking to move on up in your same company or change job fields entirely, you’ll need to develop new skills to fit your new job description. Luckily the importance of training is becoming increasingly crucial to companies and employees alike, making it easier than ever to determine what in-demand skills you’re missing and the steps you need to take to gain them:

How to determine which skills you’re missing

The first step in revamping your career is to figure out which in-demand skills your dream job requires. Only then are you able to see what training and professional development you’ll need to close your post-pandemic skills gap:

1. Research the future of your industry

Artificial Intelligence. Automation. Cloud computing. New advancements in technology are continually changing the future of work and the skills in-demand for future employment. 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet thanks to changing tech.

While that may seem far off, companies are looking for candidates who possess the right qualifications to adapt to these advancements now. Research what job skills are most in-demand for your industry for the next 10 years and focus on acquiring those competencies to make yourself a more competitive applicant.

And it’s not just tech companies that will be looking for highly skilled individuals. Traditionally manual industries like warehousing are adapting robotics and supply chain management into their daily business practices.

2. Connect with those in your preferred position

Need advice on how to get a specific job? Look no further than those who are in that position now. They’ll help you answer questions you have on making a big career change and provide personal insights on what job skills are most in-demand for their job.

If you’re looking to stay in your same company, consider a mentorship. In addition to highlighting which skills you’ll need to develop, a mentor can assist with career goals and help you build meaningful work relationships. 97% of employees that have a mentor agree that they are valuable and help them progress in their careers. 

3. Explore your current workplace

Thanks to the post-pandemic hiring boom, chances are your current company is looking for employees or outsourcing work. Monitor your workplace’s internal job board to see the top skills in-demand, especially if an open position resembles what you want to do in the future. 

Look at what roles in your team are currently being outsourced. As companies are shifting from outsourcing to reskilling employees, your business will prefer for internal workers to take on these jobs. If you’re prepared with the right skills, your company will look to you to fill one of these positions.

How to gain those skills

Now that you’ve determined what skills you need it’s time to make a game plan. Combine virtual learning with hands-on experiences for the most comprehensive approach to closing your skills gap:

1. Seek opportunities in your current company

In 2020 alone, US companies spent $82.4 billion on training their workers. Ask your company leaders if there are opportunities to enroll in learning platforms and make a formal training request to your manager presenting the benefits of education.

And it’s not just technical skills that can be learned. Thanks to evolving technology more in-depth learning resources have emerged, some even incorporating virtual reality to train employees on manual abilities.

2. Look for education outside the office

Don’t worry if your company doesn’t have a dedicated learning and development program. Over 180 million people have enrolled in online courses just in 2020, with more learning platforms being developed each year. Find an online course that aligns with your future job and other skills that are in high demand and see if your employer will cover the cost.

Is your company unable to pay for your training? Our Innovation Foundation can help. We’ve partnered with Penn Foster to bring you the Aspire Academy, an e-learning platform with dozens of training courses available at no cost.

3. Take a temporary position

Before taking on a more permanent position in a new career field try out a temporary role. You’ll see firsthand what qualifications you need for future work, get on-the-job training for essential skills, and, most importantly, see if you enjoy the work before committing. Check out our current openings to see if there’s a position that aligns with your future work goals.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­At Adecco, we’re here to help you prepare for your career change every step of the way. Check out our Adecco Foundation US for more professional development programs and read our research on future-proofing the workforce for further insights on closing your skills gap. Get started with us today.

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Upskilling has become a buzzword in today’s job ecosystem. Both employees and employers have begun looking at ways to maximize the available opportunities and minimize skills gaps. The world of work is changing at the speed of light, and you need to be able to adapt to it, or otherwise you’ll fall behind. Here is how to stay on top of your game at all times with upskilling.

Why should upskilling enter your vocabulary now?

Upskilling has always been integral to workers. But just like the world of work has changed, especially amidst the pandemic, the necessity of upskilling has changed too. While the half-life of professional skills was once 10-15 years, it’s now been shortened to five years. For technical skills, this can be even shorter. This means that workers must constantly update their skills to stay relevant.

According to the ILO Global Commission of the Future of Work, “Today’s skills won’t match the jobs of tomorrow, and newly acquired skills may quickly become obsolete.” Things like technological advancements, climate change, globalization and Covid-19 are dictating changes in the workplace and the need for upskilling.

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Automation calls for new technical skills

The question of robots replacing humans in the workplace has been pressing for a long time. The 2013 movie Her imagined a future where robots have replaced not only human labor but also human romance. It seems that the line between sci-fi and reality is becoming more and more blurred. According to experts at Fortune magazine, “40% of the world’s jobs will be replaced by robots capable of automating tasks.” Around 1.5 million jobs in England are at risk of being automated in the future, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This means that human labor won’t be needed. Such jobs include elementary occupations, as well as process, plant and machine operatives.

As worrying as this sounds, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We must adapt to technological innovations, and this calls for continuous learning. Digital literacy, numeracy, creativity and innovative thinking must improve continuously to keep up.

Globalization, Brexit, and Covid-19: How are jobs shifting shape?

It’s fair to say that most job sectors are shifting and so is the workforce demand. Globalized businesses are making way for both high-skilled and low-skilled jobs. However, medium-skilled jobs are being left behind. The job polarization is due to the increased labor-intensive production, liberalization of trade and international transportation and communication. Workplaces within leading economies are looking for highly skilled people who are ready to operate on a global level. Conversely, they are also looking for cheaper low-skilled laborers.

However, both Brexit and Covid-19 have had an immense impact on disruptions to supply chains and trade. The UK is facing a workforce shortage, and Brexit has only worsened the situation. Those who thrive in this changing socio-economic environment will have transferable skills. These skills can be adapted and applied to different occupations and skills.

You might be wondering if your own job is at stake. While many businesses are set to recover from Brexit and the pandemic, others might remain in the shadows. That’s why it’s more critical now than ever to upgrade your core skills. It’s also important to upgrade your more alternative skills that are useful as a backup plan. For example, you can learn to become a ski instructor, a reiki healer or an English language teacher. Obtaining such qualifications will make you an even more desired candidate. They will show employers that you are willing to adapt to new environments and learn new skills.

The world is changing faster than ever with a lot of socio-economic factors at play. In order to adapt to the new world of work, employees are being urged to upskill their abilities and implement innovative thinking. In turn, this will drive both the economy and their personal development forward.

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But how do coding boot camp graduates fare in the job market compared to applicants with computer science degrees? To find out how viable boot camp credentials are in the workforce, SwitchUp compared in-field employment rates for coding boot camp alumni and graduates from university computer science departments.

We found that, on average, coding boot camp certificates and computer science degrees result in nearly identical in-field employment rates.

Overall, 67% of alumni from coding boot camps landed a job in their field within a year. Comparatively, 68% of university graduates with computer science degrees found jobs in their field in a year.

While coding boot camp alumni and computer science majors typically get jobs in their field at the same rate, university alumni are more likely to pursue further education after their program.

Coding boot camp alumni enroll in graduate school less often, which makes sense given the nature of their program. Boot camps are designed to help people pivot into tech with the clear purpose of entering the field after graduation. In contrast, students in bachelor’s programs are more likely to enroll with the goal of pursuing higher levels of education.

It’s important to note that coding boot camp alumni represent a mix of educational backgrounds and work experience. While some people enroll without a degree or tech experience, others may have a degree in a different field or already work in the industry.

We took a deep dive into the employment rates for 22 coding boot camps and compared them to computer science departments from 35 well-known universities to get a better sense of how alumni fare in the workforce.

The very best (80% or higher employment rate)

The top programs with the highest in-field employment rates were coding boot camps. Codesmith, Devmountain, Tech Elevator and Hack Reactor all had at least 80% of graduates working in the field within a year.

Only two computer science departments — the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University — had in-field employment rates of 80% or higher.

These coding boot camps also beat computer science departments from many well-known universities:

• Stanford University (61%)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (56%)
• California Institute of Technology (64%)
• University of California – Berkeley (67%)
• University of Southern California (72%)
• Yale University (58%)
• Princeton University (59%)

These findings don’t just highlight how viable coding boot camps are against computer science degrees in the workforce. They also reflect the growing trend away from traditional education models in the tech industry. As the demand for tech talent continues to grow, coding boot camps and other quick and affordable training programs will become increasingly necessary for the workforce to keep pace.

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Today, Ikpe works at the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), a nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta. She is the CRM manager, overseeing the databases. This is a far cry from the $7.58-per-hour service industry job she held prior to upskilling.

Thanks to Year Up’s one-year upskilling program, Ikpe got the education and training she needed to change her career path. Here’s how it works.

Year Up is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young adults through higher education and career development. The program puts more than 4,000 students each year through six months of classroom education and then six months in an internship program. They then get assistance in landing a job or pursuing higher education, and they get the backing of a 20,000-strong alumni network.

Ikpe’s internship was at Cox Automotive with additional support from Year Up.

“During the week, we would go to our internships. Then, on Wednesdays, most folks would come into the office of Year Up and talk about how things are going on the job and have our coaching sessions,” Ikpe says. “It was really wraparound support.”

After the six-month internship came graduation. Ikpe says students could decide to remain with the company at which they were working or pursue a post-secondary education. She did both. While working, she earned an associate degree through Gateway Community College. Now, she is working on a four-year degree through Central State University in business management while continuing her career at ITSMF.

Ikpe also works as a coach through Year Up Professional Services, or Yupro, to help others going through the Year Up program. Yupro is a staffing firm that places workers who have gone through the Year Up program.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Workforce Solutions Ecosystem 2021 Update

The Upskilling Movement

Programs like Year Up’s are not just for people like Ikpe. Even for workers in good jobs, upskilling is necessary. Research earlier this year by Gartner found that 58% of the workforce will need new skills to continue doing their jobs successfully.

As a result, firms are coming in with their own take on how do to it. And it’s not just firms in the workforce ecosystem, either. Enterprises are also getting on board with training workers and bridging the skills gap.

Last June, for example, IBM announced a collaboration with 30 global organizations — including governments, community colleges, nonprofits and employment agencies — to help underserved populations improve their skills and employability. It cites a statistic from the World Economic Forum that closing the skills gap could add $11.5 trillion to global GDP by 2028.

Workers using training programs are doing so for a variety of reasons. From seeking a new, better career to embarking on a training journey to radically change their lives, people are taking online courses and trying varied programs, boot camps and more. The race to learn new skills for any number of reasons continues.  And the beneficiaries are companies — including staffing firms — and the talent. It’s a win for all.

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