Upskilling is more popular than ever thanks to a lot of employers seeing the value in investing in their staff’s education.
It helps to retain talent and shows an employer’s loyalty to their staff by allowing them to learn more and become a more important part of the team. Others may want to upskill without their employer’s knowledge, or some people upskill to enter the workforce again after taking time off.
More and more people are turning to entrepreneurship too and upskilling can help them achieve their goals and strengthen their knowledge on certain subjects.
Whatever the reason, if you are upskilling, you’ll want it to be a success so here are four important things you need to know before you start:
Picking the right course for you.
There is no point in upskilling in something you have little interest in or if you are planning to move away from that career. Upskilling requires a lot of work and commitment so don’t waste time learning things you rather wouldn’t, as this will only waste your time and derail your future.
Be honest with yourself and strive for the right course and you’ll find you’ll enjoy it more and learn a lot more too.
What’s your motivation?
It’s a simple question but like the above, it shows your commitment to doing something new. What is your motivation for upskilling? Are you aiming for a career move? Do you want a promotion? Or are you simply fed up in your current role? Whatever your motivation is, get it down on paper and mark the steps needed to achieve it.
One of the steps may be doing a course but there are probably many more so for the course/upskilling to be a success for you, you need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row, ready for the other steps.
A love of learning.
People who can gain the most from upskilling opportunities are those who understand the need for lifelong learning and are committed to doing it. If you are someone who thinks you know it all and think you learnt everything you needed to ten years ago in college then upskilling may not work for you.
You need to have the determination to learn and the ability to be vulnerable again without having all the answers. This doesn’t appeal to everyone but if it suits you then you need to get the ball rolling and start your upskilling plan now.
Self-motivation and leadership skills.
If you are upskilling as part of a career advancement in your current workplace, you’ll need to show you have the skills to bring your new-found learning to the workplace.
If you are self-motivated and like to lead this will greatly help you in succeeding in upskilling. Helping others learn may be part of your work role, especially when you have completed the upskilling and you may need to be motivated to initiate change in the workplace which may be initially brushed aside.