A major challenge in the life of any professional is competence—whether one is competent for the job at hand, how to maintain that level of competence, and how to prepare for future changes. If you layer onto this the speed at which technology is accelerating and the evolving nature of how we work, professionals all over the globe are currently grappling with one lingering question: How can I stay professionally relevant in a world of constant industrial and technological change?
This is a difficult yet pivotal question to answer. With technology developing so quickly, the future holds the frightening possibilities of job displacement and industry dissolution—but the destruction of one thing inevitably means the birth of another. Along with potential job losses comes the opportunity for new jobs, new industries, and new solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems. Enter the reskilling and upskilling revolution.
What is Upskilling and Reskilling?
Reskilling is the process of retraining yourself or your employees for new roles that require a new set of skills. Upskilling is the process of building on current skills in order to work more effectively within the same job. Both are part of an emerging trend to help workers stay relevant and keep up with the future of work.
Beyond helping them stay professionally relevant, the reskilling and upskilling revolution offers workers the opportunity to become lifelong learners. Lifelong learning is the practice of being a student always, taking advantage of opportunities to advance your skillset and treating your training not as a destination, but as a journey to embark on. Autodesk offers professional development and online upskilling resources for the professional looking for support as they navigate their career.
Professionals today are looking for career development opportunities to help them upskill towards a new career goal or reskill to transition to a new job or a more fulfilling career path. This means the upskilling and reskilling revolution applies to professionals across the board. If you identify as an adult learner, you may consider how upskilling and adding new skillsets to your résumé can help you grow in your current job or support career transitions as you plan for your future. As an employer, offering upskilling opportunities to expand your employees’ skillsets may serve as a worthy investment for your business. Along those same lines, potential employees are looking for companies that offer career development opportunities—a win-win for both employer and employee. As a professional in an unpredictable job market, you may be preparing for, or currently dealing with, major changes within your industry and seeking to reskill for a role that offers more job security. Similarly, reskilling may help you transition to a new career in order to plan for your future. In all cases, one thing is for sure—lifelong learners who consider upskilling and reskilling as part of their professional journey are establishing a strong foundation to combat future industry changes.
Currently, lifelong learners can upskill or reskill by signing up for online, self-paced courses or by getting prepped and certified for specific skills.
Upskilling and Reskilling Resources
1. Self-paced courses, tutorials and upskilling workshops
A big part of keeping pace with the future of work is staying relevant to foreseeable industry changes and developments. The practice of staying relevant makes you a well-rounded, cross-trained employee with better opportunities for professional development. Self-paced courses and tutorial content are a great way for professionals to gain new skills or brush up on old skills, with materials such as the Revit Quick Start guide or Inventor Essential Skills videos.
Once learners have acquired a strong foundation of skills, the next step is to validate those skills with certification.
2. Certification for the Workforce
With an already-established skillset, a quick and easy way to give your résumé more credibility is by earning industry-recognized certifications. Autodesk offers a variety of certification prep courses to validate your skills and better prepare you for a changing job market. Adding a certification to your résumé may also help you stand out from the competition by showing the extent of your upskilling and reskilling efforts. Autodesk Certified professionals obtain certificates and digital badges that can be posted on LinkedIn to signal job readiness to prospective employers.
Zachary Jensen, civil engineer and Autodesk University 2019 attendee, does civil design for roadway projects using Autodesk Civil 3D and InfraWorks software. Having worked in the industry for a few years, Jensen has used Autodesk certifications to legitimize his skills within his company and finds that the badges help to boost his résumé in case the time comes to look for another job.
Jensen says, “I think for me, [Autodesk certification] is just a way to let people know that I have the skills to work in that software. People can come to ask questions and I can help within my firm. Also, I tend to spend some time on the forums answering questions. There’s a pretty good community within Autodesk, so to have that certification there gives you some credibility. It shows you have experience within the software. Putting it on my LinkedIn or résumé just gives me some good respect.”
Choose from prep courses in design, engineering, manufacturing, or construction and then head over the Pearson VUE to take a certification exam online.
With technology advancing rapidly, now is the perfect time to embark on a path towards upskilling, reskilling, credentialing, and lifelong learning. As an individual worker, you can nurture your career by investing in personal development and training. As an employer, helping your teams foster a learning mindset while building relevant and applicable skills can serve as an investment in your company‘s—and your employees’—future. With Autodesk’s professional development and lifelong learning resources, professionals can obtain the skills they need to be better prepared for a rewarding, long-lasting career path that can weather the ebbs and flows of today’s predicted industry changes.
Learn more about how upskilling the workforce will ignite a new era of manufacturing here.
