Five reasons to upskill in 2023

If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that upskilling yourself to evolve with the ever-changing workplace is massively important. With the shift to remote and hybrid work environments and the consequential increased reliance on technology, it is essential to be adaptable to succeed in your career. Paul Lewis is the Managing Director of Pitman Training. He gives five reasons you should upskill yourself this year and how to choose the development route for your dream job.

1. Future-proof your career

Upskilling equips you with the tools needed to perform efficiently in your current career, learn adaptable skills, expand your knowledge base, and achieve career advancement. So, taking the time to develop yourself and your knowledge will not only help you to be more productive at work and increase your performance, but it will also help you get the chance to secure employment in the long run. Unfortunately, no job is guaranteed for life, so upskilling will help you to ensure that you stay ahead of the curve of the ever-evolving job landscape.

• Increase your value to your employer

According to employers, the best employees are proactive and look to create value for the business. Acquiring more skills that are helpful to your company will make you an invaluable asset. A further benefit is that you will also show any employer that you are flexible and understand the requirements that make you a fine candidate for promotions. Many companies encourage employees to upskill, so if you are encouraged by your company to attend training, always grab the opportunity to learn.

• Expose yourself to exciting opportunities

Companies like to hire well-trained and versatile people, and those with a series of skill sets are preferred over those with limited ones. Developing new abilities can help give you options by not just boosting your employability but clearing the way for a career change or an easy transition into a more senior role. Upskilling isn’t just advantageous when training for a new job. It can simply help you to broaden your horizons and your understanding of the business you work in.

• Discover new passions

By learning new skills, you open yourself up to getting in touch with new subjects and areas that might interest you. There may be new tricks to the trade that you have yet to come across in your field or you could develop a completely new interest in something else. The beauty of adult education is that there are literally hundreds of courses, so you are sure to find one that sparks your imagination.

5. Boost your confidence 

For an employee, being more competent in a role typically links to them having an increased level of confidence. Therefore, gaining additional knowledge through learning new skills will ultimately mean you can achieve more and feel better about yourself. If you have ever felt shy at work, upskilling can make you more confident to speak up and voice your opinion – this means you are more likely to be noticed and pushed forward by your bosses when it comes to promotions.

How to choose the development route for you

Getting started is the hardest part of any educational journey, so choosing a development route that suits you is vital. I recommend talking through some course options with an experienced advisor. They can signpost you to those courses suited to your preferred career path or suggest courses that complement your current skill set and passions to take you on to a new career.

Look at whether you can build a programme of bite-sized courses to create a portfolio of valuable skills if longer courses seem intimidating. See if study locations are close by to reduce commuting time or if you can combine a mixture of online and classroom study for more flexibility. Also, know what your employers, or future employers, want before you take an adult education course. This is incredibly important when choosing a role that will help you progress in your career. For example, if you are looking to go into a role where you are expected to have exceptional office and secretarial skills, there would not be much call for you to take a course in marketing.

Finally, ask yourself if you are the type of person who is self-motivated, or do you need the odd push to keep going? Be honest. If you occasionally need that extra push, I suggest choosing a course delivered by someone who gives you the level of support you need to complete your study.

By Paul Lewis

About the author

Paul Lewis is the MD at Pitman Training, a leading independent training provider, offering world-class office and IT skills in modern training centres to thousands of students across the UK – making a real difference to the lives of people in their local areas.