Skills4Productivity: A guide to 21^st century skills

In the changing nature of work where more focus is given to acquiring a specific variety of skills, including knowing certain technical tools, life skills, negotiation skills etc., dialogues on how to equip workers on upskilling and re-skilling become important. Students often face the problem of entering the workforce not knowing what the essential skill one needs to know is. Studies have shown that even after joining the workplace, it is difficult to cope with work for some employees, hence recruiters nowadays provide on-the-job skilling training or orientation programmes for the newcomers. Competency in this context becomes a key requirement, wherein an employer expects workers to bring with them some basic working skills apart from the particular sector-specific expertise one has. Apart from professional hands-on training, knowing basic life skills such as collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, growth-mind set etc. becomes crucial to learn.

Before moving further let us know what is a Skill?

A skill is the learned ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. The 21st century is an era of new dimensions, new openings, endless opportunities, and innovations. So it becomes important to acclimatize with a diverse set of skills that can improve productivity and efficiency. The essential skills every employer seeks from the employee are the following:

• Learning Skills: Every mature worker needs to hone the 4 Cs in life such as Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking.
• Digital Literacy Skills: Getting trained on the uses of modern tools such as Information, Media and Technology to enhance the capacity to spread and acquire information from different resources.
• Life Skills: Self–awareness, interpersonal skills and thinking skills such as stress management, emotional regulation, positive thinking, self-esteem, resilience, empathy etc. are some of the life skills one needs to build

Learning/Innovation Skills:

• Communication: Humans are social beings hence is it important for them to know and apply effectively these nuances of communication. Communication is not only about expressing one’s thoughts but also refers to being understandable to the listeners/target people.
• Collaboration: Humans are social beings so, it is important for them to collaborate with each other and become supplementary or complimentary to the other person’s abilities.
• Critical Thinking: Perspective is something that is unique to every individual. People perceive and learn. The more skilled you are the more you can think, and you can be aware of different perspectives.
• Creativity: Creativity certainly means ‘out of the box’ and is correlated with handling situations and innovation.

Digital Literacy Skills: There were times when the only available resource to acquire knowledge, were books. But in the 21^st century, there are multiple resources to learn, so gathering information and using different resources have become important.

• Information Literacy: In modern times there is ample information available everywhere. One must know how to access, analyse and use this information to learn new things. These abilities to understand data refer to Information Literacy.
• Media Literacy: This includes the ability to access the methods and analyze media messages as well as create, reflect and take action, using the power of information and communication to make a difference in the world.
• Technology: The ability to access and use modern technologies such as telecommunication, computers, software, and audiovisual is commonly referred to as Technology Literacy. This enables users to access, store, transmit, and understand information through machines.

Life Skills: As the name suggests, it is related to coping with life, that includes social, personal and work life. These skills are a group of psycho-social competencies and interpersonal skills that proved to be useful in tackling different situations in life.

• Self-awareness — knowing and living with oneself: This theme covers topics that foster the student’s relationship and understanding of themselves including their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
• Interpersonal Skills — knowing and living with others: The lessons in this theme explore how to establish healthy, respectful relationships; lessons highlight the use of non-violent communication, assertiveness and dispute resolution.
• Thinking Skills — making effective decisions: The skills taught in this theme include concrete ways of thinking and executing tasks so that youth will make effective decisions, set relevant goals, and be informed consumers of information.

Now that we know the skills, let’s understand the current scenario at the workplace from a gender lens. A recent statistic shows that only 23% of the top executives, CTOs and CEOs around the world are women, compared to their 47% participation in the workforce. This gender disparity suggests that it is time to look deeper and understand the reasons behind the decreasing number of women in leadership positions. To analyse the same in the context of Indian society, an online session was hosted with Ms Pritha Dutt, founder of Empower Pragati and Ms Kanika Malhotra, Founder & Principal Consultant of iLead HR on 15^th July 2023 to celebrate World Youth Skills Day. The discussion revolved around the challenges that women face in the workplace and how these challenges are leading to a decrease in the number of women in leadership roles.

They also mentioned that regardless of gender there are certain challenges that are associated with the modern workplace such as,

• Limited Growth and Advancement Opportunities
• Lack of Recognition
• Inadequate Training and Development
• Unclear Expectations

In addition to the mentioned challenges, there are also some specific pitfalls that are unique to women, especially in a developing country like India. As Kanika mentioned, ‘I’ve seen women getting terminated for being pregnant or while asking for maternity leave’. It is the reality of the modern workplace, and you will be amazed to know that there are many more challenges that await women joining the workforce such as,

• Stigmas about women going to work outside the house.
• Studies have shown even after they join the workforce, these women become victims of unconscious biases in the workplace.
• Due to the social mindset it is often believed by co-workers that women lack communication skills as they are emotional, women lack assertiveness and negotiation skills due to their submissive nature, women lack confidence etc. which reduce women’s confidence.
• Maternity leaves/pregnancies are observed in a negative way and often cause demotion or even termination.
• Women have to take up responsibilities at home besides work as most of the times they are the primary caregiver to kids and elderly parents.

What can be done to address these challenges?

According to the experts, women need to self–train or seek external support in order to develop these skills and confidence. They also pointed out some important insights both from a working women’s perspective and a recruiter’s perspective that can help to manage the challenges and enable the women to become successful.

An individual can,

• Avail career-ready skills development and training opportunities to stay current in the field
• Invest in leadership development, communication and negotiation skill building programs
• Take ownership of professional and personal life, become role models for fellow women
• Seek out mentors and sponsors who can offer guidance, support, and advocacy in their career
• Build connections with like-minded women and address the common challenges together
• Asses own expectations and plan out a career accordingly.
• Find strategies to integrate work and personal life effectively.

They also recognized that organisations need to be intentional about creating an environment where women feel valued and respected. They suggested that the organisations should take into consideration the following points:

• Promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace
• Provide equal pay and benefits to all employees
• Offer on-job skill building
• Ensure zero tolerance for harassment and discrimination at the workplace
• Support policies and legislation that promote gender equality in workplace
• Ensure equal representation and visibility
• Support maternity rights and be empathetic toward female workers

Availing skill development programs:

For skill development and upgradation, networking and access to adequate information and opportunity becomes very important. With the changing scenario around competency, newer ways to acquire knowledge have also emerged. As Pritha Dutt mentioned ‘With the changing technology more resources are in our fists‘.

There are several skill building opportunities for young entrepreneurs especially for women who are in the workforce and want to scale up their abilities. Social media, networking websites and inter-personal networking can be used to hone certain skills and access mentoring. MeraBizNet, Women4Economy, NSDC, SkillIndia are some of the websites that share information about mentoring and skill building opportunities in an array of sectors.

Here are some of the course details available on the web:

Leadership courses : 

Leadership elevation programs consist of all the required skills training, such as Communication skills (active listening & empathetic communication) Critical Thinking (conflict resolution & strategy management), Creativity (decision making & problem solving) and Collaboration skills(management and delegation). Across the internet, there are many such training programs by certified trainers.

Courses on Udemy

• Business, Management & Leadership Fundamentals
• Service Management and Complaint Handling
• Leadership in Startups: Upside Down at 150 People
• Innovation Leadership in Tourism SectorOrganization

Courses on Coursera

• Strategic Leadership: Impact, Change, and Decision-Making Specialization –
• Certificate in Strategic Leadership
• Leadership and organizational behavior

Communication courses: 

Communication is one of the fundamental skills that one must possess. Several courses on communication facilitated by certified experts are available both online and in person.

Courses on Udemy

• Effective communications skills for business
• Free communication skill tips for great emails and meetings
• Strategies to Reduce Workplace Communication Breakdowns

Courses on Alison.com

• Customer Care Skills and Telephone Etiquette
• Group Communication, Teamwork and Leadership
• Master the Art of Interactions and Impacts in User Experience Design

Courses on Coursera.org

• Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization
• Influencer Marketing Strategy
• Storytelling and influencing: Communicate with impact

To conclude, it can be said that skill development is the cornerstone of enhancing productivity in the modern workplace. In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving professional landscape, the ability to adapt and acquire new skills is not merely an option but a necessity. Skill development is a continuous journey, that involves setting clear goals, seeking out opportunities for learning, and embracing challenges as opportunities for growth. It’s about being proactive, seeking feedback, and staying committed to improvement. Moreover, synchronisation between individual skill development and organisational assistance can ensure the professional progress of individuals and with the support of an enabling workplace, women can stay ahead of the curve and achieve goals.