Make your own way to the 21st century workplace
The thing about improving unemployment rates is that it’s no fun if you’re the one unemployed, whether you’re in the Philippines or elsewhere.
But maybe you did find a job, just not the kind that translates into a career. Maybe you don’t even like that job. Maybe you can’t quit, as it’s the only thing your diploma qualifies you for. And you’re the breadwinner of the family. Windows of opportunity slam shut. Cue the “I’m trapped!” nightmares, the misery, the stress, the gateways to depression.
There are many articles on job-related mental health issues around the web. The area this article is qualified in is, to help soothe the pain points of employability and life opportunities, 21 st century Skills Qualifications.
How can Skills Qualifications help me? They can be your passport to a wider range of career opportunities and upward mobility than your average diploma does.
Recently, Pearson held its first symposium in the Philippines, focusing on How to Bridge the Skills Gap— referring to the disconnect that occurs when educational institutions do not produce graduates with the skills employers actually need.
At the event, Pearson UK Industry Relations and Partnerships Manager, Tony Chapman shared, “Our goal is employability and progression, not just in the workplace, but for life. Pearson LCCI Qualifications are created with employers, for employers. They tell us what’s missing in their companies, and our courses produce skill-focused graduates who can fill those roles and apply those skills from the first day on the job. ”
The acceleration of technological innovations and the need for globalization has created pain points for employers too. The more the business landscape (more like globalscape now) changes, the need for new specializations, new skill-sets, and new ways of thinking increases.
Companies today can’t fill those needs. But their need is your opportunity. And they have many needs.
As Mr. Chapman says: “A lot of industries are crying out for detailed, technical skills, regardless of the business sector.”
Fortunately for you, Pearson LCCI has a wide range of skills qualifications that those industries are crying out for: Financial & Quantitative Literacy, Business Management, Data Science, Digital Marketing – just to name a few.
Moreover, you can choose to instill in yourself the bedrock on which all 21 st century skills rest on: English Proficiency. Subscribing to the misconception “hey, you speak English, so you must be good in English” -- may just leave you disadvantaged in the new global workplace. After all, how well can you articulate your ideas to clients in 3 continents right now, accurately, concisely, and clearly – especially to someone who speaks English as a second or third language?
As elaborated at the symposium by Mr. Stuart Connor, the Head of Qualifications & Assessments at Pearson, “Adaptability. Cultural awareness. Decision making. Learning agility. Collaboration. Communication. Critical thinking. and English proficiency supports all these 21st century skills. Skills that make you employable.”
But where’s your proof?
“98% of our bachelor program students find employment within 6 to 12 months after graduation, or have started their own businesses.” said Caroline Mediodia, Programme Leader Head of Southville International School.
“Pearson changes its curricula regularly to address the needs of the industry,'' she continues. “A mapping of the transferable employability and study skills have also evolved, and now include cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.”
Skills Qualifications make transitions smoother -- should you decide to change careers, either by circumstance (“Yes this merger means, you’re fired”) or by choice (“my boss is slow to change/keeps promoting his family members and secretary over me”).
Mr. Chapman said it better. “People no longer have one job for their whole life. They’re moving around, taking on new challenges. Skills Qualifications allow them to do that. Just study for 3 months and you’re ready for a new challenge. It’s a competitive market, but employers will pay you more because you have the training and applicable skills to do that job better.”
It’s a new workplace out there. Two generations ahead from what your parents imagined. A workplace where automation and artificial intelligence replaces humans. A workplace that calls for new skills and episodic careers, if you are to thrive.
With Pearson LCCI Qualifications, always learning, means always opening opportunities for yourself in the 21 st century.
So, what career would you like to have today?