5 key employability skills for 2022 and beyond

The pandemic has changed the way we all work in one way or another; some things had to change during the lockdown periods in line with the restrictions and other things have changed long-term to fit in with the ‘new normal’ way of working.

These changes have meant that the key skill sets that employers are looking for have changed too. Things that weren’t so important pre-pandemic are now at the forefront of employer’s minds as they look to ensure that their workforce is meeting the demands of the new working environments we find ourselves in.

The five essential skills that employers are now looking for - as identified by the programme directors of GBSB Global Business School’s Master in Digital Business - are as follows:

1. Digital literacy. Employers need their staff to be able to find, assess and communicate information via a variety of digital platforms as these are so widely used in today’s workplace. Being confident in doing so is a must too.
   
   

2. Working on your own initiative. Being able to use your initiative effectively has always been important, but never more so than now when so many of us are remote or hybrid working. It’s also important that staff can work well on their own (rather than in a group environment) as this will be the case for those working from home, which for many companies is likely to continue long-term.
   
   

3. Be adaptable. In the ever-changing environment of today’s workplace, staff must be flexible and able to adapt to different situations and workloads at short notice.
   
   

4. Think positive. Having a workforce that is positive and happy to approach the task in hand with enthusiasm goes a long way to ensuring a well-functioning team.
   
   

5. Self-regulation. As the workplace can present challenges - as we’ve seen more than ever these past two years - the ability to control emotional responses and behaviours is essential.
   
   

Apprenticeships

Our digital apprenticeships offer employers the chance to take on new staff in the areas where improved skills are most needed. You can even opt to retrain existing staff if you have employees that you’d like to repurpose to different areas of the business, either because you have identified a suitability within them for this particular role, or perhaps their current area of work has decreased since the onset of the pandemic.

Explore our Support Technician, Software Developer, Network Engineer and Data Technician apprenticeships to see what these roles could provide for your business.

Our business and management apprenticeships incorporate the development of business skills, knowledge and behaviours, which will give learners skills 2-5 on the most wanted list. These skills will help individuals to build a solid base of expertise which can be used to excel in various roles.

Discover our Business Administrator, Team Leader/Supervisor and Operations / Department Manager apprenticeships to see how one or more of these roles could benefit your organisation.

Why take the apprenticeship route?

• An apprenticeship is a great way to attract great new talent to your business.

• Apprenticeships provide the ideal opportunity to upskill existing staff in a cost effective way.

• It’ll enable you to tailor the position to your individual business and plug any skills created by the pandemic.

• You’ll receive a £1,000 incentive for every 16-18 year old apprentice hired.

• The training may not cost you a penny - thanks to the Apprenticeship Levy and Co-funded models for smaller businesses, 95% to 100% of the apprentice training costs will be government-funded.
  
  

Continuing professional development

We offer a wide range of short courses that will enable you to build on your personal resilience, learn to work effectively in remote situations, embrace change and manage your personal responses to situations. We have a short course or two to help you fulfil each of the 5 most wanted skills:

1. Digital literacy - check out our range of computer software and infrastructure courses or you can utilise our IT and consultancy services for more bespoke training.

2. Working on your own initiative - our Time Management and Project Management courses will equip you with the skills to do this effectively.

3. Be adaptable - our Change Management course will teach you to roll with the changes and manage your workload around them.

4. Think positively - the way we communicate with others and deal with situations are two of the key things that affect our ability to think positively in the workplace, so our Communication Skills and Dealing with Difficult People and Situations courses could prove invaluable.

5. Self regulation - Building Personal Resilience and Wellbeing could provide the key to calm and professional responses in challenging workplace scenarios.
   
   

Why PETA?

• Our staff are knowledgeable and skilled industry professionals, who provide first-class insights and training.

• Our facilities are second-to-none, providing a great experience on the day, with all you need to hand.

• We offer over 200 courses across a range of disciplines as well as bespoke training solutions to meet every business need.

• Our apprenticeship offering is unrivalled on the south coast and our Apprenticeship Recruitment Team can support you every step of the way to make the process simple and finding the right candidate easy.

• With over 50 years’ experience, we’re Portsmouth's leading provider of corporate training, apprenticeships and consultancy services. We hold many industry accreditations including Investors in People - Silver Award, BSI certified to ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001, and hold an Ofsted ‘Good’ rating. We are an approved centre for the delivery of training; NEBOSH Gold Learning Partner, IOSH provider, CMI,  BSC, ECITB - CCNSG, ITSSAR, EAL and Qualsafe.

Find out more about our apprenticeship programmes, corporate courses and bespoke training solutions…

Source: fenews.co.uk