An increasing number of organisations around the world are looking for new ways to upskill their workforce to fill a growing amount of jobs created by the digital revolution.
In fact, business leaders are more concerned than ever about finding the right talent to fill these new roles. According to a report by PwC looking at how the skills gap hampers businesses’ recruitment efforts, 96% of CEOs in Africa say the availability of key skills is the biggest threat to their organisation’s growth.
The situation is equally as serious in the Middle East where 65% of employers and 59% of job seekers believe there is a skills gap. Another quarter of job seekers in the region believe that the education system isn’t adequately equipping students with skills relevant for today’s workplace.
If prospective employees are unskilled for jobs currently available – how will they prepare for the jobs that will be created by Artificial Intelligence and automation? And what can companies to do to ensure they upskill or reskill their staff to stay ahead of the curve?
Here are three effective ways companies can upskill their staff complement and ensure success both now and in the future:
- Encourage taking the first step
Upskilling is the process of teaching current employees new skills. By upskilling current employees, companies can fill open positions while retaining their current workforce by creating learning opportunities. Mulaedza Mathoho, for example, joined a Johannesburg-based consulting company as a Junior Data Scientist. Through the Microsoft Student2Business Programme, he completed two Microsoft Certification Programmes that earned him globally recognised certificates as well as invaluable experience in Database Development and Data management and Analytics that he can use to further his career.
To encourage more employees to enrol in upskilling initiatives, employers should let employees know what upskilling opportunities are available to them. Companies should also offer some sort of incentive or bonus for employees who express interest in expanding their skillsets and increasing their value to the company. A merit programme or opportunities for promotion will encourage more employees to develop and grow.
- Invest in employee volunteer programmes
The concept of skills-based volunteering is becoming increasingly popular because it enables companies to leverage the professional skills of employees, and link their experience directly to business objectives. This in turn offers organisations the opportunity to draw on new and existing markets, while also significantly impacting volunteer employees.
One example of an effective skills-based volunteer programme is Microsoft’s MySkills4Afrika programme, which invites Microsoft employees from all over the world to travel across Africa and volunteer their expertise to support startups, universities, the public sector and small-and-medium-businesses.
- Consider staff upskilling solutions and partnerships
80 percent of the jobs we expect to see as soon as 2025 don’t even exist yet, and according to research conducted by IDC and Microsoft, cloud computing will potentially generate more than 515 000 jobs across key markets in the Middle East and Africa between 2017 and 2022 – and these are not confined only to the IT profession.
This is why Microsoft introduced the Middle East and Africa Cloud Society Programme, a one-stop learning platform aimed at honing employees’ cloud skills by offering a range of free courses. As a member of the Cloud Society, organisations are granted access to all Microsoft Online training courses, exclusive certification and training offers from Microsoft Partners as well as roadshow event invitations. The platform already has over 106,000 registered users across the Middle East and Africa region.
The programme has helped people like Ibrahim Abbas, an App Developer from Lebanon, who joined the Cloud Society to learn how to build cloud platforms and manage cloud infrastructure. “The Cloud Society is an open gate to knowledge where I was able to find solutions and facilitate the barriers that used to cause delays in my execution of certain jobs,” he says.
Another programme useful to businesses is the newly launched AI Business School, a master class series for business leaders to achieve real results from AI, featuring lessons, insights and research-driven recommendations from executives and experts that have experience using AI to accelerate and drive their core business.
- Hire a diverse and inclusive workforce
Hiring and developing the best, most globally diverse talent pool is vital in helping employees not only upskill but also change their perspectives. This is because employees who represent different markets, communities or groups provide greater insight, creativity, and innovation. A company that actively engages different perspectives from diverse groups or differently abled people is able challenge ideas and biases, enrich the experiences of employees, and empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.
Kenya’s James Movine, for example, came from an aviation background before deciding to pursue a career in Information and Communications Technology. After spending months looking for an affordable training program that would give him the skills and certification he needed to enter the technology industry, James enrolled in a free Microsoft Digital Literacy Computer Science course being offered at the African Centre for Women & Communications Technology (ACWICT). He gained an introduction to computer systems, hardware and software components, computer applications, computer programming and more using the Microsoft Imagine Academy Curriculum, and today, he enjoys his job as a Network Engineer.
Skills gaps are affecting industries around the world, and the Middle East and Africa is no different. If organisations are to ensure employees are adequately trained, they must partner with the right technology provider and utilise the most effective programmes to upskill present and future staff.
