The 4 Career Advantages of Upskilling

There are no years like your twenties. Fresh out of school, this is the best time to explore, experiment and yes - venture into the working world. However, the joy of securing your first job is often accompanied by stiff competition, especially in the current economic climate. 

Increasingly, employers are on a lookout for adept and digitally savvy individuals. Without a doubt, your willingness to learn is what gives you a leg up in today's market. So, how can you outshine others? The key to bump up your employability chances lies in upskilling. Not convinced? Check out the four career advantages that come with upskilling!

1 - Enhances Competency

Learning doesn’t stop after earning your qualifications. What differentiates you from the rest are the building blocks added to your academic knowledge. 

Think applied learning, social skills such as flexibility and adaptability, along with industry-relevant experiences through SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes. Combining hard and soft skills shape you into a well-rounded candidate, ensuring job-relevance and most importantly, enhances competency.

2 - Boosts Employability

Having an arsenal of skill sets open the window to better opportunities and allows you the freedom to choose from relevant career paths. Oftentimes, your willingness to learn and openness to take on new challenges demonstrates the right attitude — an attractive factor to employers. 

Upskilling is the outcome of an adaptable mindset, one that exemplifies resilience and agility even in the face of disruption and technological innovation. 

3 - Be Future Workplace Ready

By now, you must have noticed the disruptive shifts brought about by global connectivity and technology. Tech-savviness has become a necessity in today’s fast-paced digital economy as most embrace online collaboration.

A significant contributor to Singapore’s economic growth, Infocomm Technology (ICT) is now a key enabler in every industry. Across sectors, learning these in-demand digital skills such as digital marketing and data analytics will make you valuable and sought after. Curious where you stand? Benchmark yourself with the Digital Skills Check. 

4 - Gain Growth Opportunities

Gaining new knowledge is one way to discover new passions, talents and career paths. Even if it’s learning out of interest, you’ll never know how an acquired skill set can put you in contention for a managerial role in future.

In many instances, career progression or crossovers happen because an employee holds adjacent skills that make him/her relevant to the position. While it is an employer’s responsibility to offer career development, it is your responsibility as an employee to work towards growth. 

With that said, any individual who can grab hold of upskilling opportunities will stand to advance in their career plan and gain from these mentioned career advantages.