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Reskilling

The New HR Focus: Reskilling

Posted on 17 May 2021 in Business | Gabriel Chua


Need for Change and Challenge

There’s a saying that goes, “You cannot teach old dogs new tricks.” Such a notion, however, ought to be challenged in present times. This is for the very simple reason that the world is changing. With rapid developments in modern technology, certain skills and processes may become obsolete, thus leaving HR no choice but to reconfigure work processes, systems, and more importantly, reskill their company employees.A reluctance to do

so would not only see them lose essential manpower, but in the process, cause them to fall behind competitors who are proactively looking at means to upgrade their workforce and various resources. So, should you reskill your workers today?

Progress and Leveraging on Technology

Ever since the dawn of time, humans have had to undergo several changes with regards to work. From the labour-intensive Bronze Age, to the heavy-duty industrial age to todays’ heavily digitalised world, the manner in which work is carried out has gotten drastically different.

The one common driving force behind these eras however, would be technology. As time progresses, the developments in technology have disrupted operational procedures with new, better ways of getting things done. With businesses, it has always been swim or sink, evolve or go extinct.

Progress and Leveraging on Technology

Reskilling: A Constant Need

There always exist a need to prepare for the future. As such, it is highly advisable that you be pre-emptive in your business approaches so as to ensure that your company’s workforce remains well-versed in their field of expertise. Let us give you an example.

Amazon , one of the biggest tech-giants of this current generation, has been taking a proactive approach when it comes to improving the knowledge and technical know-how of its employees. For instance, in 2019, the company pledged a full $700 million to upgrade their workers in higher-order skills in various areas, several of which are listed below.

Reskilling a Constant Need
  • Machine Learning University – A high-tier strategy to enable workers to be well-versed in various machine learning skills.
  • Amazon Technical Academy – A platform to help transition workers with no prior-knowledge into roles involving software engineering.
  • Amazon Career Choice – A pre-paid course to equip various associates with the relevant skills and know-how to be employed in high-demand positions of their choosing.

Amazon, possessing the necessary foresight, have conceptualised a multi-pronged approach to the development of their workforce. They have granted prospective internal hires and employees the means to revamp themselves by providing an avenue for them to be re-educated about certain industry information and know-hows, thus expanding the breadth and depth of their knowledge.

Amazon’s plan of approach had several outstanding benefits. Firstly, despite technology being a common enabler across the industry, the organisation’s proactiveness has managed to keep the company at the number 1 sport for ecommerce goods in the US market by a significant margin. The company experienced a 38.6% increase in revenue from 2019 to 2020, that is upwards of $296 billion. Moreover, in addition to this, across all online channels, Amazon reported a net income of $21.33 billion dollars within this same time period, an increase of 83.9%.

What Amazon achieved is no mean feat. All the success that the company has achieved was in spite of the disruptions to usual operations caused by COVID-19. This shows that if you equip your employees with the necessary tools and new skills needed to help the company, go over and beyond expectations. Through upgrading and reskilling, companies will be able to reap the rewards of more meaningful knowledge and flexibility for greater efficacy and efficiency.

The Scene in Singapore

With Singapore being an international business hub, it is vital for the survival of our country’s economy that we continue to re-train and upskill our workers. This is also a sentiment echoed by the government, with the Enhanced Training Support Package , aimed at upskilling and retraining, being extended by a further 6 months.

Even before the start of the pandemic, the government has been actively encouraging businesses to look at means of upgrading the skillsets of their workers. If anything at all, COVID-19 has further proven that adapting and changing with the times is an utmost must to remain competitive in today’s economic climate.

The Scene in Singapore

In A Nutshell

Technology has and will continue to be a disruptor to many industries and businesses. Skills and knowledge required by your team is constantly changing. As such, there is constant need to be on your toes, and be proactive when it comes to engaging your workforce. Through reskilling and training, company employees will have their skillset expanded such that they will be well-versed in their field of work, thus bringing consistent value to the business. All in all, this will help ensure that your organisation remains at the forefront, leveraging upon prevailing circumstances to remain a step ahead of the competition.

In term of acquiring new knowledge, why not start off with QuickHR ? Our top-of-the-line Learning Management System allows your company to partake in various internal and external eLearning modules from our exhaustive marketplace of off-course providers. Customisable and with built-in analytics, HR will be alerted to areas of concern such that greater focus towards such areas can be emphasised for an ever-learning workforce.

Once again, we hope that you've enjoyed a good read. And remember, Think Now, Think Far, Think QuickHR.

* Get in touch with us at quickhr.co/contact-us to find out more about our state-of-the-art HRMS solution!

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