Upskilling your Workforce: Be Future Ready

September 8, 2022

In light of the exponential growth of tech innovation and automation, and the rapidly-changing job landscape, HR and L&D managers have become increasingly aware of the importance of ensuring that the workforce is adequately prepared to face any future challenges or unpredictable circumstances. In a webinar organized by englease and held virtually last week, top names from major organizations specialized in learning, development, and employment, came together to discuss the gaps and challenges faced by employees in the MENA region, and shared their insights on the importance of upskilling the workforce. During the webinar, Nafez Dakkak, Managing Partner at BLDR, welcomed the panelists and attendees and kicked off the webinar with a crucial question; why should we be thinking about upskilling and reskilling our workforce and what are the key gaps that have been identified within the MENA region? Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com answered and said: “The last three years have proven to be extremely challenging for everyone in the world, and now that organizations in the MENA region are adapting to the new normal, the need to build a future-ready workforce has become the need of the hour.” Ola added: “Looking into the MENA region, premium cities have been putting a lot of effort into becoming a desirable work destination, which has been very successful, as post-pandemic, Dubai ranks as the third best city in the world for expats to live and work in.”

Skill development is crucial and needs to be approached correctly

According to a survey conducted by Bayt.com, over 80% of professionals in the MENA region consider career development to be crucial, and will leave their current employers for a better upskilling opportunity. Additionally, Bayt.com has identified gaps currently present in the MENA region’s job landscape, which include: not considering the skill set an organization currently has, using a one-size-fits-all approach with employees, and planning an upskilling strategy with inadequate budgeting. On that note, Youssef Touqan, Senior Solution Consultant (EMEA) at Coursera said: “Transformative skill development costs money and takes time, and it requires application and practice.” He added: “The need and the urgency around skill development has never been greater, which is evident in the growth of Coursera within the MENA region in the past few years. Today, we have over six million learners from the MENA region on Coursera, which is double what it was in 2020, which is five times higher than it was in 2019.”

Cross-border job opportunities increase competitiveness

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen a surge in the number of opportunities that have been made available across borders for professionals around the world. Today, the concept of remote work is becoming increasingly familiar, which has inevitably increased competitiveness. Omar Chihane, CEO at englease said: “The highest driver of employability in the MENA region is English proficiency, but the region has the lowest English proficiency, and the highest youth unemployment rate in the world.” He added: “One of the biggest motivators for employees is a sense of personal accomplishment and growth. When employees feel that there’s a chance to learn and grow within an organization, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and remain within the organization.” “Today, we see governments in the MENA region being driven by urgency and ambition. Youth unemployment and economic issues in the Middle East continue to grow, therefore, the need to turn citizens to earners and employees who can work effectively in the global marketplace, and the need for economies to become more competitive to attract multinational investment by having the right local talent has never been more urgent.” said Youssef Touqan.

E-learning is an effective tool for upskilling

While upskilling is an imperative need in today’s job market, traditional learning and upskilling methods are no longer resonating with employees around the world, due to tight schedules and busy workdays, and this is where e-learning comes in. With various e-learning platforms available in today’s market such as englease and Coursera, upskilling strategies are becoming increasingly easier for employers to implement. E-learning platforms now accommodate people anywhere in the world and allow them to learn at their own pace. HR and L&D professionals also have access to KPI measuring tools that can help them track the progress of their employees and determine the effectiveness of upskilling programs provided to them, while also helping them determine future steps in their upskilling strategies. “There is a shortage of talent in the technology industry, and that’s where e-learning comes in and provides material from major tech companies such as Google, IBM, Meta and more. E-learning does not compete with university education, but rather compliments and completes it, especially in fields related to technology and automation.” said Youssef Touqan. “Through englease, we provide courses that prepare employees for interviews and give them the proper tools they need to land a job in today’s competitive job market.” Said Omar Chihane. He added: “There is a huge potential of collaboration across various industry partners within the e-learning ecosystem.” Want to know more? Watch the full session here and follow us on our LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to stay up to date with the latest news and updates.

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