FEATURE : SKILLS & TRAINING increasingly within their interest to do so . Just as the Fourth Industrial Revolution demands that we close existing hard skills gaps , the work-from-anywhere world we now live in requires us to further invest in soft skills – to solve complex problems , challenge the status quo and engender a shared sense of purpose among remote teams ,” she said . “ To advance representation and potential of women and minority groups in particular , we must consider the entire employee lifecycle , starting from how we attract and recruit talent , to how we invest in development . Only then can we truly build a workplace that reflects society .”
While the need for organisations to constantly train , reskill or upskill their employees should be engrained in an organisation ’ s human capital development plans , enterprises in MEA are still making common mistakes when developing short- and long-term training schemes .
TECHNOLOGY WILL BE A DRIVING FACTOR IN THE
FACILITATION OF CIOS AND IT DECISION MAKERS
TO TACKLE TALENT RETENTION , INTERNAL
CORPORATE INITIATIVES AND BROADER
SOCIETAL ISSUES .
Heriot-Watt University ’ s Gill said a common mistake that enterprises make is implementing training programmes without a goal in sight . “ It is not easy to earn the learner ’ s attention without establishing a clear goal . This means mapping out the employee or the team ’ s learning and development goals is extremely crucial ,” he noted . “ The programmes should also link back to the individual ’ s career development and growth plans – and not just organisational objectives . CIOs should also involve HR who can help develop clear career paths for individuals participating in such programmes . This ultimately helps the individual buy into the concept for training , reskilling or upskilling in order for it to be effective .”
Cisco ’ s Al-Zoubi said the skills gaps among all industries are rising in the Fourth Industrial Revolution across MEA . “ Rapid advances in AI , Machine Learning and other developing technologies are changing the nature of jobs and the skills required to do them . There is already strong demand for technical skills such as programming and app development , along with skills that computers cannot easily master , such as creative thinking , problem-solving and negotiating ,” he observed .
Al-Zoubi said even though , countries in the MEA region such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia are heavily investing in these developing technologies , there still remains a shortage of people skilled in data science and AI . “ This is true of all nations . Businesses may have a challenge with hiring new employees , as they attempt to futureproof their workforces and look for skills which are in short supply . However , nations across the region are taking this topic very seriously and are addressing it head-on , through policymaking and on-ground initiatives ,” he said . p
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