The crisis that hit 2020 has somehow affected companies’ decisions to hire new talents. Hence, it is important for companies to consider investing in expanding the skill set of their employees. In the recent 663rd PMAP (People Management Association of the Philippines) General Membership Meeting last April 28, 2021, one of the topics discussed was upskilling the workforce. In this virtual meeting, the resource speaker, Abegail Tongco — Director of Learning and Development and Strategic Consulting Services of The Profiles Group of Companies, talked about the following:
- Understanding the new normal required competencies
- Identifying the steps in developing an organization’s upskilling programs
- Appreciating the tools for sustaining learning and development programs
Abegail shared the following new normal required competencies:
- Business Sustainability. It is important to have business acumen, customer orientation, and creativity and innovation. Imbibing these dimensions will develop the ability to forecast future business needs, detect threat and opportunities, and apply design-thinking skills in order to pivot sustainable strategies.
- Digital Literacy. Being technically fluent is now a trend. The demand to value data privacy and netiquette has been totally amplified.
- Team Agility. This is for both members and leaders. Members are expected to be more dependable, with high regard for integrity and accountability as collaborations are done virtually. Leaders are expected to manage team diversity, sustain employee engagement, and handle online coaching and counseling.
- Online Facilitation. Since everything is done virtually, it is necessary to upskill and improve how online meetings are carried through. It is a must to sustain learner engagement all throughout an online facilitation.
- Effective Communication. Even before the pandemic, it has always been essential to communicate well. However, given our current situation, a high demand for effective business and technical writing have increased.
- Mental Health Resilience. Since work-from-home setups have already been instituted, we cannot avoid the reality that work hours at home have also extended. It is crucial to be mindful to maintain psychological resilience, ensuring one’s well-being is cared for.
Identifying the steps in developing an organization’s upskilling program can be done by reviewing the business model vis-à-vis the individual performance. Abegail mentioned that all competencies involving leadership and function have to be assessed in order to come up with an individual development plan to address competency gaps.
On her last topic, Abegail cited some tools for sustaining learning and development programs:
- Blended Learning Approaches. Combining synchronous and asynchronous sessions for learning.
- Gamification. The utilization of rewards and incorporation of games have been proven to be effective in encouraging collaboration.
- Certification Programs. Pre-tests can be conducted before an online session in order to check knowledge. Asynchronous activities and small group discussions can also be employed before a test is given.
- Self-paced Learning. Learners are given the freedom to select modalities.
In closing, Abegail emphasized that investing in upskilling is a moral obligation. The future of work does not have to result in job loss but must lead towards job enrichment.
Please visit and join the John Clements Talent Community.
