Is there a gap between the labor market and the academic programs?

Introduction:

The lack of skilled labor in various industries is one of the most worrying issues.?

And Information technology is one of the most affected areas. However, is the phenomenon solely due to technical skills' evolution with decreasing cycle durations??

Perhaps the lack of up-to-date "hard skills" is the problem's root cause.?

But all business areas of a company require knowledge of technical solutions, such as ERP, CRM, artificial intelligence, big data, and analytics.

Depending on the open vacancies, employers require candidates to possess a balanced set of skills among these three competency categories.?

According to the business and IT areas, some are more demanding than others.

Nevertheless, before we dive into the subject, let us remember the concepts of each one.

Hard Skills:

Hard skills are measurable, teachable abilities that can be quantified and measured. These skills come through formal education, training programs, or on-the-job experience.

They can encompass technical proficiency, such as computer programming, data collection, task management, financial administration, and other related abilities proven through specific tasks or actions. Employers tend to favor candidates with such attributes.

Soft Skills:

Soft skills are a set of personal, interpersonal, and communication abilities that enable individuals to effectively navigate the complexities of various social, work, and life situations.

They are often essential for success in the workplace and are highly valued by their employers.

Soft skills include communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, resilience, crisis management, adaptability, time management, emotional intelligence, creativity, and critical thinking.

Digital Skills:

Digital skills are a set of abilities and competencies essential for effectively using digital technologies, tools, and platforms.?

They encompass skills related to basic computer proficiency, online interaction, data collection, digital promotion, website creation, programming, and more.

As technologies dominance in every aspect of life continues to grow, digital abilities are increasingly indispensable for numerous occupations and everyday routines.

The Rookies:

All universities could offer courses that enable their students to develop soft skills as part of their undergraduate and graduate programs, according to students' chosen areas, such as Business Administration, Economy, Accounting, and IT.

When these former students enter the labor market after graduation, many job opportunities arise, such as salespeople, IT Project Managers, contract specialists, HR Analysts, Artificial Intelligence engineers, Big Data and Analytics specialists, or even opening new businesses.

Acquiring interpersonal competencies, such as communication, interpersonal connections, crisis management, flexibility, problem-solving, and leadership, are crucial for keeping their jobs and boosting their careers.

On the other hand, such university campuses offer educational workshops and training sessions to enhance students' abilities in extracurricular of their regular academic curriculum.?

The best employers may also offer training on personal qualities to new hires or ongoing educational opportunities to current workers.

Employers tend to favor candidates with such attributes.

Many universities include courses focused on developing soft skills in their undergraduate and graduate programs. Soft skills such as communication, interpersonal relations, problem-solving, and leadership are a big plus and highly valued by employers and are considered essential for success in many fields.?

Several well-known executive education institutions also offer workshops and training sessions to help students strengthen their soft skills outside their regular coursework.

Furthermore, many employers offer their new hires soft skills training or continuing education opportunities to their current employees.

Many university graduates are usually young, inexperienced, and unprepared for the job market, regardless of their chosen academic track.?

As soon as they leave school, things can change, and their career track might take a different way.?

It is common to encounter psychologists, engineers, accountants, and former students with training in different disciplines, such as psychology, pedagogy, engineering, administration, economics, and general accounting, among others, who are employed after-school of their original academic track.?

Most of these young people achieve professional careers in a company, establish a business, or continue their education to pursue a career in teaching.?

Numerous professionals work as account managers to sell technical IT solutions, project managers, suppliers, payroll analysts, shop floor control supervisors, and other areas that don't match what they studied at school.

Everybody needs to work, and for some reason, such as recession, lack of opportunities in the desired field, and so on, professional life guided them to another lane.

Probably, the candidates will accept an offer to pursue a career in a field distinct from their chosen academic path.

Thereafter, they must rush to be up-to-date with new job requests.

Indeed, it is so risky for their career, which is just beginning, and they might feel frustrated, unhappy, and depressed, in case of firing them.

The Experienced Professionals:

As time passes, professionals already in the job market must also keep up with the best business practices and technological innovations.

The process of learning is continually changing, cyclical, and endless.?

Regardless of their professional status, it's essential to stay current and always keep learning new things that will help them make money or keep their job, at the very least.

How to deal with difficult people in a toxic working environment, solve complex and overwhelming problems, manage crises, build and lead a high-performing team, stay under pressure all the time, and be a good negotiator?

Dealing with difficult people in a toxic working environment requires a combination of assertiveness, empathy, and conflict-resolution skills.

Approach the situation calmly and professionally, find common ground, and focus on finding a solution.

To tackle complex and overwhelming issues, it's crucial to break them down into manageable parts, prioritize them, and use data and research to address the best choices.

Furthermore, it is essential to establish effective collaboration and delegate responsibilities to ensure timely resolution of issues.

Crises need quick thinking, clear communication, and the ability to make decisions under pressure.

It is essential to establish a clearly defined strategy and to be aware of your team's strengths and weaknesses to adapt your approach to changing circumstances.

Setting clear goals and expectations, empowering team members to take ownership of their work, providing ongoing constructive feedback, and being helpful are some things that build and lead a high-performing team.

It is essential to foster a culture of cooperation, mutual respect, and accountability.

It's important to practice self-care, set priorities, and keep a positive attitude to stay under pressure all the time. Take breaks, exercise, and do things that help anyone to recharge their battery.

A successful negotiator requires extensive preparation, attentive listening, and the ability to negotiate mutually beneficial agreements.

Engage thoroughly into the issue and its contrasting perspectives to identify common ground and reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

How many professionals gather have the skills above?

How many executive education institutions and universities have a program to cover all these traits?

I read several programs thoroughly by visiting one hundred universities' websites from North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. I barely found some acceptable programs from world-class business schools.

Lastly, I posted the following polls:

You are welcome to unveil your standpoint:

Evidence:

The referencing material provided below was used as the research basis for this newsletter:

Online News:

• Lincoln Tech:

• CNN:

• CNBC:

• Prince Manufacturing:

• Reuters:

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce:

Reports:

• McKinsey Global Institute:

• Government of Canada:

• Schengen Visa:

• Gallup:

• Gallup:

Videos:

• CBC Radio Canada:

• Steve Jobs talks about managing people:

• University of Ottawa—Digital Transformation and the Training of Highly Qualified Professionals:

• Columbia Business School Executive Education | Digital Strategies for Business (Online):

• Executive Education, Collaborative Environment—Kellogg School of Management:

I surveyed to find out if postgraduate programs at educational institutions cover technical, technical, and digital skills:

• Africa:

• Asia:

• Europe

• Middle East:

• North America:

• Oceania:

• South America:

Bottom Line:

Professionals must always continue learning and studying to keep up with the changes in business and new technologies because of the regular updates to academic training and extracurricular programs.?

The balance between hard, soft, and digital skills must be found by beginners in the job market, depending on the emerging professional path.?

For experienced professionals, as time goes by, the best business practices change as disruptive technologies evolve.

Consequently, ongoing learning is the only way for them to remain competitive and have a successful career path.