In today's rapidly evolving work landscape, the importance of both upskilling and re-skilling has never been more evident. The skills required in the workplace are continuously shifting due to technological advancements, changing job roles, and increasing global competition. Learning new skills is the key to remaining relevant, competitive, and future proofing your career.?
A recent?ÃÛÌÒapp skills outlook report?shows how Indian workers are keen to improve their skills for career growth (with a focus on certain skills in technology and business English) to keep up with progression, and to stay relevant to employers. Following this, in today's post, we explore the significance of upskilling and re-skilling and how they can empower you to thrive in the dynamic world of work.?
The job market is in a constant state of flux, with traditional roles being disrupted and new ones emerging. Upskilling allows you to stay ahead of these changes in your current career, and reskilling allows you to adapt and remain relevant in the face of evolving skill requirements. By continuously updating and expanding your skill set, you enhance your employability and increase your chances of securing meaningful employment opportunities, even in the face of automation and job market fluctuations.
Upskilling is not just about maintaining your current job; it is also a catalyst for professional growth and advancement. By acquiring new skills, you broaden your horizons, open doors to new career possibilities, and position yourself for promotions and higher-level positions.
Employers value employees who demonstrate a commitment to self-improvement and possess a diverse range of skills, making upskilling a powerful tool for career progression.
Technology continues to reshape the workplace, and upskilling is essential for effectively navigating these advancements. Automation, artificial intelligence, and digitalization are transforming industries, and workers must adapt to remain relevant. Re-skilling in areas such as data analysis, coding, cybersecurity, or digital marketing equips you with the expertise needed to leverage technology and work alongside it, rather than being displaced by it.
Learning and growth are fundamental drivers of job satisfaction and motivation: research has shown that it is as significant a factor as low pay in peoples' decision to stay with a particular company or job role1. Upskilling not only expands your knowledge but also stimulates your intellectual curiosity and passion for your work. When you invest in your professional development, you can align your skills with your passions and find greater fulfilment in your chosen career path.
Upskilling fosters adaptability and resilience, two essential qualities in today's dynamic work environment. The estimates that a quarter of all jobs will be disrupted in the next five years alone; meaning that everyone needs to be prepared for change and uncertainty.
By continuously learning and developing new skills, you become more adaptable to changing circumstances and can readily embrace new challenges. Upskilling enhances your problem-solving abilities, critical thinking skills, and ability to learn quickly, making you better equipped to handle unexpected situations and thrive in an ever-evolving workplace.
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, global competition for jobs is intensifying. By staying abreast of industry trends, acquiring in-demand skills, and demonstrating a commitment to self-improvement, you differentiate yourself from other candidates and increase your chances of securing coveted job opportunities, both domestically and internationally.
The importance of upskilling and re-skilling for work cannot be overstated. In a rapidly changing world, they are the keys to remaining relevant, adaptable, and competitive. By continuously learning and developing new skills, you future-proof your career, enhance your employability, and open doors to new opportunities.
Embrace skills development as a lifelong journey: by doing so, you empower yourself to thrive in the dynamic world of work and build a fulfilling, successful career.
[1]?https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/
As the leaves turn golden and the air becomes crisp, it's not only the ghosts and ghouls that come out to play. Halloween may happen only once a year, but learning about spooky idioms and phrases can add an exciting twist to your language journey throughout the year. So, grab your torch and let's delve in.
It¡¯s almost Halloween, and the ghosts and vampires will soon be coming out to play. Did you know that although we often associate Halloween with pumpkin carving and eating candy, the festival has much older origins??
is an ancient Gaelic festival that celebrates the end of the harvest and the start of winter. This is why people often associate the colors of orange and black with Halloween: orange is the color many leaves turn in autumn and black is the color of the darker winter months.
People used to believe that spirits walked the Earth on the night of Samhain. The tradition of dressing up as ghosts and demons started as a way to hide from the spirits who walked the streets. Similarly, people used to leave treats outside their houses for the spirits and from this came the tradition of trick-or-treating.
So to help get your younger students in the Halloween spirit, here are five spooky ideas to try in your primary classes.?
Pumpkin carving is fun - but it¡¯s also messy and pumpkins can be really heavy. Instead, bring in an orange for each student and give them a black marker pen. Get them to draw a scary face on their orange and then write a short text describing it.?
My pumpkin orange, Ghoulie, has two big eyes. He¡¯s got a small nose and a big mouth, with lots of teeth. This Halloween, he¡¯s going to sit outside my house. He¡¯s going to scare people but he doesn¡¯t scare me. I think he¡¯s very funny.
This is a great way to practice questions and review language with your younger students. Have your students cut out bat shapes on card and tell them to write a question on the back of each one. They can write personal information questions, such as ¡®What do you eat for breakfast?¡¯ or questions related to topics you¡¯re studying at the moment, like ¡®How do you spell dinosaur?¡¯?
Attach a paper clip to each bat and put them on the floor, with the questions face down. Then attach a magnet to a piece of string.
Divide the class into teams and have students take turns to fish a bat from the floor. When they catch a bat using the magnet, a student from another team asks them the question written on the bat. If the team can answer correctly, they keep the bat. If they don¡¯t answer correctly, the bat goes back on the floor.
When all the bats have been fished, the team with the most wins.?
This is a good activity to review prepositions of place and house vocabulary. Before you start, elicit some scary things from the students, such as ghost, spider, witch, zombie. If these words are new for your students, draw a picture dictionary on the board for them to refer to in the next stage.
Next, give students an outline of a house with the rooms labeled, but without any furniture. Then dictate a sentence to the students and have them draw what you say on their individual houses. For example, ¡®In the kitchen, there¡¯s a big cupboard. In the cupboard, there¡¯s a witch.¡¯ Or, ¡®In the living room, there¡¯s an old sofa. A zombie is sitting on the sofa.¡¯
You can then divide the class into pairs or small groups and have them take turns dictating sentences to each other. When they finish, they can compare their pictures and then write a short story about their haunted houses.?
Draw a 7x5 grid on card and add Start and Finish squares. Number the other squares so the students know what direction to move in. Then, on some of the squares write Trick and on some of the other squares write Treat. Finally, prepare a set of ¡®trick¡¯ and ¡®treat¡¯ cards for each group. (There are some ideas for tricks and treats below).?
Before students play, teach them some phrases to use while playing the game. For example:
Then divide the class into groups of four and give each group a board, a set of ¡®trick-or-treat¡¯ cards, a dice and a counter. Have them take turns to roll the dice and move. If they land on a Trick?or Treat square, they have to take a card and do what it says. Then they put the card at the bottom of the pile.?The winner is the first person to reach the Finish square.
Ideas for ¡®trick¡¯ cards
Ideas for ¡®treat¡¯ cards
Are your students bored of celebrating Halloween every year? Mix things up with stories or readers. Allowing their imagination to run wild. There are lots of you can use or get inspiration from, creating your own. If you want your pupils more involved you could also have them make or take part in your very own 'create your own adventure' spooky story.?
After reading the story, have your students create comic strips of different parts of the book and display them around the classroom. If your students prefer theatrics, get them to act out or sing parts of the story.?
Why is it that some groups work smoothly together, whereas for others it always seems to end in arguments? It may seem logical to avoid group work with classes where it often leads to disagreement, but is there such a thing as ¡®healthy disagreement¡¯?
Perhaps the groups that appear to be working well together are actually just letting one or two people do everything? This would certainly avoid conflict, but they might also be avoiding learning very much.?
Sometimes conflict is a necessary step that teachers (of all subjects, not just language teachers) have to acknowledge as an important part of a learner's development.?
