Covid-19 Era: Acquiring industry-relevant skills is the only way to sustain in today’s market

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”- Alvin Toffler

As the entire globe goes through economic crises with the pandemic outbreak, employers across the globe are having tough times in managing their business. There is a tendency for organisations to resize their manpower resources to bring down their cost. There is a fear among professionals on how to sustain themselves in the market. It is the responsibility of every professional to build their capabilities that can boost their employability during difficult times. Upskilling becomes an important aspect to improve oneself during the recession and difficult times. MBA with practical exposure and a ton of super-specialty programmes is definitely a horizon towards growth and a prospective future.

During these weak economic times, building industry-relevant skills is the only way to sustain in today’s market. As there is going to be high scrutiny in hiring, young professionals and new workforces have a great challenging journey ahead.

Students who are graduating need to acquire value-added courses that help them sustaining in this job market. Professionals need to keep in track of market trends and reskill themselves to hold a place for themselves in this challenging industry.

Companies during tough times benefit from upskill employees as employees with diverse skills can adjust and work towards changing business needs and environmental factors. Employees are valued based on their leadership, communication and decision-making skills and their urge to learn anything new that comes on their way. Therefore it is time for technical experts to enhance their career with their technical and managerial skill sets. Today with the number of B-Schools increasing day by day there are a number of options available for professionals to enhance their leadership, communication and decision-making skills along with their technical expertise.

 “Bad times bring best in people”. Earlier, during economic crisis professionals had difficult times in getting back to their college and pursuing their education. Today, with the advancements in communication and cutting-edge technology acquiring a new skill or enhancing their skillsets for competitive advantage is no longer a barrier. Depending on the situation and circumstances Indian professionals has to aggressively think on how to reboot their present career in this challenging job market. It is also evident that students who are undergraduates are more likely to pursue higher education as they could not withstand the job market with their current skill sets. Upgrading their skills is sure to help them compete in this competitive market.

Today, with the advancements in communication and cutting-edge technology acquiring a new skill or enhancing their skillsets for competitive advantage is no longer a barrier.

Gone are the days were the MBA degrees focused on specialising core areas of HR, Finance, Marketing and Systems. Today advanced B-School curriculums have specialised courses on Data Analytics, machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, Supply Chain Management, Lean Sig Sigma, Digital Marketing, Neuro-linguistic Program, Cloud Computing and  IoT along with their main course curriculum. The best way to upskill is to understand once strengths and weaknesses and invest time in areas of improvement. MBA gives a better perspective to understand oneself much better. It helps you to understand the business fundamentals and helps you build a strong industrial network.

“Sometimes interest matters and sometimes that matters is priorities”. As India goes through a quasi-recession it is highly important to self equip oneself with skills so that even if you happen to face difficult economic times you know how to survive.

We at KV Institute of Management and Information Studies (KVIMIS) work towards building charismatic leaders. We always foresee the market and design programs based on industrial needs. Our strong academic team works towards preparing young talents to meet upcoming business needs and equip them to become outstanding performers in the industry. With the decline in India’s GDP, we are looking for the more working professional to enroll in B-Schools.  We strongly believe that upskilling and reskilling is the best way to reinvent the future of our nation. The government strongly recommends training and development and this is where the growth of our nation can reverberate. Before you enter any B-School understand the nuances of the program, what it offers and it will help you make the best choice. Investing your time and money in personal development is nowhere a loss to you.

As India goes through a quasi-recession it is highly important to self equip oneself with skills so that even if you happen to face difficult economic times you know how to survive.

About the author:

Dr C Kumar is Managing Director of KV Institute of Management and Information Studies (KVIMIS). He has over 25 years of rich academic and industry experience. Dr Kumar holds various prestigious degrees such as BE, MBA, PhD, PMP, CISM, CRISC and SAP-B1.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha