The COVID-19 pandemic has completely transformed the way we work; increased unemployment, reprioritization of economic activity, and the introduction of work from home arrangements have all contributed to a working world that looks very different than it did before. And we don’t know what it will look like after the immediate danger of the pandemic has subsided.
What we do know is that many of us have a lot more time on our hands right now. Whether it’s due to job cuts during COVID-19 or simply that your commute time has been eliminated because you’re working from home, consider taking this time to invest in your marketable skills by upskilling and set yourself up for success in the future.
What is upskill training?
The definition of upskilling is simple: it’s the process of gaining new skills. The concept is often positioned as training that helps individuals expand their capabilities to address the changing needs of their current jobs and career paths. An example of upskilling would be a team lead taking a leadership course to further develop their leadership abilities in their current position.
Contrast that with reskilling programs, which aim to teach workers new skills for new jobs. Commonly cited as a way to address the structural changes in the labour market due to job losses from automation, reskilling programs enable workers to enter new careers by giving them the skills they need to succeed.
An example of a reskilling program is the CEGEP certificate program in automation that Raufoss Technology Canada spoke to us about in our Lead Magazine issue on the future of work. Developed to address a lack of qualified technicians in their labour market, the program gave internal employees with experience in high-volume production environments and an interest in automation the opportunity to develop competencies to become skilled technicians.
How to develop new work skills by upskilling
If there are any skills that you’ve ever thought about developing, now’s the time. There are always areas of your professional life that you can improve, and with a wide variety of online courses, you can start to address some of them right now. Here’s how:
Identify the skills needed for career development
The first step is figuring out the skills you’d like to develop.
Maybe you found it difficult to use your company’s work-from-home tools and you’d like to learn more about video conferencing. Or, perhaps you are already responsible for your company’s social media presence, but you’d like to develop your digital marketing skills further.
Examine your work history. In your past performance evaluations, were there areas where your skills were not as strong as you or your manager would like? You can also think about tasks in your day-to-day work life that you’re not excited about. Would working on your Excel skills, for example, improve your ability to pull and analyze reports? Or perhaps you’re a software engineer who dreads producing technical documentation and would benefit from technical writing courses. Consider also where your job is headed. Have you recently taken on any projects or tasks that involve skills you’d like to work on? Maybe you have recently become responsible for client-facing content as a marketing professional where improving your design skills would help immensely.
You can also pull out your resume to see what areas you might need to strengthen. Do some LinkedIn research by looking at the profiles of other people who are in the same field as you. Identify the skills and responsibilities that they have in common and look for courses that will help you obtain similar competencies.
Another approach is to search for recommended courses for your position. Searching “online courses for [your role]” will yield many results that you can use for inspiration. You can also browse available courses on one of the notable massive open online course (MOOC) providers; search by subject for ideas. We look at MOOCs in more detail below.
How to teach yourself skills
Now that you’ve determined the areas you’d like to work on, it’s time to find an available course in the upskilling market. Let’s look at your options to upskill:
Massive Open Online Course Providers
Massive open online course (MOOC) providers are online platforms that provide courses from educational institutions and other instructors. These courses are open to the public. Many are available for free, though pay models exist and usually offer premium features. These premium features might include extended access to course materials, ability to submit work to be graded, and certification.
Online courses have recognizable features such as lectures and coursework and can also support collaborative elements. Some providers also offer certifications and college credit. Make sure you go with a provider that partners with accredited educational institutions to ensure you’re getting the best learning experience.
Major international providers of MOOCs by number of learners (according to a 2019 report by Class Central) include:
Finding the right provider is based entirely on your needs. Take some time to think about what you want out of the course. If you’re interested in a niche subject, the wide variety of course offerings from Coursera and edX are a good place to start. If certification is your goal, all the above providers offer some form of certification, with FutureLearn even offering a number of accredited degrees. Learn more from reviews of these and other MOOCs here.
Continuing education courses
A more familiar model for you might be continuing education courses. Thanks to eLearning platforms, these courses can follow a more standard classroom format than MOOCs and can be more intensive and more costly as a result. Typically offered by educational institutions directly, these courses (and, often, related certifications in course topics) can be found through Continuing Education departments at many universities and colleges in Canada.
Other sources of learning
If you’re looking for a less intensive or structured learning experience, there are other options to explore. Consider the following:
- Looking to learn a new language? Apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone have free options that can help you brush up on your language skills.
- Interested in gaining skills with a specific software program? Investigate whether there is training available through the software company, such as Adobe or Microsoft.
- Check out your local library for learning resources. They may have subscriptions to learning platforms or offer their own online courses for free.
- LinkedIn Learning offers many courses to upskill and ties these to your LinkedIn profile. Newcomers to the program can get a 1-month free trial (perfect if you have some extra time right now) and has made a few courses available for free to help with COVID-19-related concerns (including working from home productivity tips and mindfulness).
Your organization
Lastly, don’t overlook resources that your organization makes available to you. With mounting evidence that employers have an important role to play in the skills development of their employees, many companies are incorporating upskilling programs into their training offerings.
The Resume Question
You know that improving your skills will give you added competence and confidence at work. Online courses are also a good way to make productive use of your downtime (especially if you have a lot of it right now). If you have been laid off or are otherwise not working, focusing on one subject can exercise your brain when you may not be getting much stimulation otherwise.
But what should you do with your new knowledge once you’ve completed the course?
The obvious first step is to put it to work! Test out your new skills at work or, if it’s the kind of thing you can do on your own time, for fun.
Next, include your accomplishment on your resume and your LinkedIn profile. If you’ve obtained a certificate, add it to your resume under an appropriate heading. Consider “Education & Certification” or “Skills” sections for this purpose. Some upskilling platforms give you the ability to add certification badges to your LinkedIn profiles. Check the customer support sections of the specific platform to see how to do it.
Even if the upskilling option you chose does not offer a certificate, that doesn’t mean you can’t mention it anywhere. Upskilling is a valuable addition to the sometimes nebulous skills section of your resume and LinkedIn profile. With a course or two under your belt, you have proof that you are trained.
And while you’re updating your resume with your new skills, take some time to make sure your resume is up-to-date and accurate. Plus, don’t forget to work on your LinkedIn profile with our tips for creating a great LinkedIn profile and using it to showcase your personal brand.
Use the above upskilling options to find a training module that works for you. The need for upskilling—whether a quick tutorial for a specific software program or a multi-course certification in a specific area—is immense. If you have more downtime right now, consider our upskilling examples as a valuable way to develop new work skills and occupy your mind.