Why is it important for women to learn new skills?

In the modern world, the skills you have are as important as the skills you can develop to get ahead. Many jobs require special attention and skills, and in such cases people tend to develop new skills. Technology is changing at a rapid pace and women need to keep updating their knowledge to keep themselves relevant and competent.?

The first step to take is to look at yourself and identify the skills that you already have. This may not be easy to do as introspection is something that a lot of people find hard to do. Once you have done that then the next step is to look at skills that you would like to have and then find ways to develop them in areas where you are lacking skills. This is why women need to constantly update their skill set to keep up with the corporate world.?

The pandemic with all of its new variants is still ever present around the world. During these tough times most Indian women (90% of? respondents) look forward to learning new skills to advance to their current position or move to a better job, according to a survey. The survey also found that 89% of Indian women were overwhelmed by trying to balance between working from home and caring for their families, and 81% felt that the pandemic had reduced their financial independence. According to 27% of women interviewed for the survey, family responsibility was cited as the biggest barrier to skills development.

Is it really important to learn new skills?

With the addition of new technologies, and the changed framework due to the coronavirus pandemic, it became apparent that employees need to acquire new skills. The employer also had to reinvent the work process, change some job profiles, and rethink how employees perform tasks. It’s unrealistic to assume that what you learned years ago will hold you up as the world evolves. In fact, if you want to remain competitive, you need to continuously learn new skills and ensure your self-development is in-line with the company’s aims.?

You need to continuously keep up with new technologies and methods required at your workplace . And if not, then it can be detrimental for both you and your employer in the long-term. If your employer has a training and development program in place then jump on that bandwagon and tap into it; but if not, then there are many online platforms which offer webinars or online groups of like minded workers who can help you to improve yourself – individually or as a team.

Hard skills aren’t the only one you should focus on when you are trying to brush up some new skills. These “softer” abilities — like critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration — will help you nurture expertise. These soft skills enable you to pass along knowledge, communicate in an effective manner, and adapt swiftly to the ever-shifting market needs. Employers who want their companies to grow also take steps for creating a strong learning culture. By empowering employees this way can lead to improved performance; a high customer retention rate; and employees who are capable of meeting the needs of an ever evolving world!

Learning new skills also makes one very resourceful. It is an opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from the others by becoming someone who’s very resourceful, having superior leadership skills, and being able to deliver solutions to problems whenever they arise. Always try to think outside of the box; ask yourself what other people aren't asking themselves and you'll come up with truly unique ways of solving problems

Knowledge without experience is just information, which isn’t as useful in real-life situations. When you learn at work and apply what you’ve learnt back at work, your skill set becomes deeper and better as a result. Women who are navigating evolving economic conditions and changing technology trends require constant learning. You need to develop new skills to build your career and move forward.