one coaching , to name a few .
In the early months of the pandemic shut down , to prove demand , Office Divvy piloted a series of events named “ Upskill in 20 .” A live instructor conducted a short online session with the goal of delivering actionable learnings in 20 minutes . Nearly 100 participants attended these live classes from the comfort of their computer screens in April , May and June 2020 .
What is Reskilling ?
While upskilling provides skills to grow one ’ s current career , reskilling involves training for an entirely new one . There are a burgeoning number of companies already doing this , such as Articulate , Degreed , Udacity , Udemy and General Assembly , with many still emerging .
Formal Education vs . Upskilling and Reskilling in Business
In light of the great resignation , re-examining the relevance of traditional higher education may be necessary , especially in some fields of study , based on the changing realities and needs of employers and employees alike . Tesla , Google , Facebook and other major companies have lifted their college degree requirements for new hires signaling significant changes are already here -- especially for certain types of jobs .
If hiring norms in the workplace change , how will that impact the future of education ? If the benefit of a college degree in terms of landing a job goes away , what will that mean in the long term for colleges ?
Best-selling author , famous for his widely popular business books , the Tipping Point and the Outliers , Malcolm Gladwell , once said , “ The amount of money that ’ s wasted on meaningless education never ceases to amaze me .”
The shortcomings of high school and college education in terms of delivering workforceready young adults have been a known issue . High schools and colleges have an obligation to ask themselves this important question : Are we shaping young adults to be ready for work -- and life -- after they graduate ?
Can new ways of learning life and work
Upskill 20 : Office Divvy has been offering classes and delivering events for entrepreneurs and area businesses since 2008 . Upskill 20 is a series of upskilling classes that are 20 minutes in length that deliver actionable learnings and related resources . Topics include Hybrid Ways of Working , Collaboration Tools for Teams and Workflow Automations .
skills , and upskilling , supplement or replace formal education in business ? Will remote or hybrid work culture further impact “ formal education ” versus “ practical education ” through upskilling and reskilling ?
Perhaps a new approach centered on lifelong learning will not replace formal education provided by high schools or colleges right away , but it ’ s clear that without upskilling , there will be deficits in the workforce .
Education trends are changing and will continue to change . At Office Divvy , helping teams and clients to upskill , to better approach new ways of working , is part of the culture and will continue to be for the foreseeable future .
How are you doing when it comes to upskilling ? Are you behind ? Are you ahead ? Office Divvy would love to hear from you . Email any feedback or questions to hello @ OfficeDivvy . com .
Ky Ekinci is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Office Divvy . He is an entrepreneur , a trusted advisor , a world traveler , a Coworking advocate , and an appreciator of fine cigars .
APRIL 2022 | 27 |