Preparing Yourself to be the Worker You Will Need to Be Tomorrow, TODAY by Marc LeVine

I am from the Baby-Boomer generation and from a time during which technical advances and change seemed to come much slower than they do these days.?Oh, there were many new innovations and several cultural shifts between the 1950’s and 1990’s. Many of the newer technical innovations were mildly considered to be interesting "curiosities" rather than game changers back then. Most people were much more preoccupied with just making a living and trying to lead traditional family lives than trying to figure out how the newest mechanical innovations and gadgets might change their daily lives. The one exception - of course - was the American "love affair" with the automobile.

During the 1990’s even more advanced technologies seemed to bubble up daily. Younger members of our society became viewed as early adopters, who embraced the latest technologies and permitted them to infiltrate their daily lives and influence the way they lived.? The advent of the Internet, wireless technology, and the transition from print to cable media are all great examples of this and helped usher in the age of “in your face,” real-time social connectivity. We couldn't live without the Web, our cell phone and Social Media interaction.

Twenty-first century technology surrounds us now and most employers have adapted much of it to different phases of their management practices and production efforts. Embracing the latest technologies by business requires a workforce well versed in its use. There is an ongoing need to hire people, who promise to remain current with all the changes taking place. They must all be prepared to leverage everything from dedicated platforms and tools for remote working through the use of artificial intelligence as a time saver.

Where businesses once required a focus on expanding people’s talents through re-skilling or up-skilling, the new focus has become - pre-skilling. In today’s employment world, schools and employers must be able to future-proof talent and reinvent peoples’ careers before anyone can even know what tomorrow’s jobs and in-demand skills will look like. This is all further evidence to suggest just how quickly our world is moving, today with robotization, digitization, and automation being among the newest entrants into the mix. We all need to adapt to these changes in the workforce, especially those stimulated by the latest technologies and their impact on the way things now get done.

In contrast to re-skilling or upskilling, which are reactive approaches to adapt to change, pre-skilling is a proactive approach. It involves providing people, especially young people, with the skills they need to make a difference in the future. This means prioritizing soft skills such as learning ability, curiosity, resilience, and adaptability over hard skills.

The goal is to stay ahead of the fast-changing world by working with the people who will drive the change. This approach challenges companies to look beyond the current workforce and standard solutions, and instead focus on the future.

Here are some effective ways for employers to help set the stage for pre-skilling their team members, effectively:

·??????? Job Simulation: Pre-skilling enables people to learn more about those emerging skills required for specific workplaces and allows them to practice those skills through job simulation in safe-space environments before they’ve even started applying for the actual jobs. ?Job simulation of a particular role offers job aspirants the opportunity to experience a 'day-on-the-job’ within a virtual environment closely mimicking the real thing.

·??????? Are you a?CONTROLS ENGINEER?or?PROJECT MANAGER?looking for a new?? job???Visit:?www.thermosystems.com/careers

·??????? Enhance Skill Set and Career Awareness: Pre-skilling enables candidates to enhance their skill sets and their overall career awareness to hit the ground running from the first day. This is achieved through various training focused on hard and soft skills.

·??????? Establish a Learning and Development Team: This requires establishing an L&D team and offering various courses focused on hard and soft skills to all.

·??????? Encourage Experiences: ?There is no better teacher than experience when it comes to learning new skills. It is one of the best ways to develop new skills. Taking on stretch projects, accepting mentors, or acquiring skills that will help in future roles are all great strategies.

·??????? Form Support Groups: Learning support groups encourage and help employees be better educated.

·??????? Leverage Digital Courses: Ongoing digital literacy courses can upgrade the skills of workers.

Remember, the goal of pre-skilling is not just about acquiring new skills, but also about developing an adaptable mindset that can quickly learn and apply new knowledge as needed.

The Author

My Recent Interview on “Engineering Success” (Click)

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions Manager at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

Marc's prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ