EDUCATION
Training and personal development need to adapt and change along with the changes in how technology itself is developed"
orking can be all about the basics – enjoying the pay packet and little else. For
particularly when it comes to inspiring today’s school children – maintaining the status quo isn’t enough. “We know that autonomy is the next thing, so what are we doing at the moment to talk to kids about the career path that would start to take you into it?” Jane asks. But knowing which skills are likely to matter not just today, but in the future isn’t easy. It’s tricky enough for someone in their 20s to work out what’s likely to impress the boss now, let alone the qualities that might float their boat 30 years on. Do you focus on people skills or problem solving, opt to become a troubleshooter or a technical guru? According to one analysis of up-and-coming US-based job specialisms for 2020, a growing number of job titles feature words like technician, scientist or engineer. And businesses can evolve so quickly that in just a few years the emphasis can shift dramatically. Take Redgate, one of our area’s flourishing tech firms. “Ten years ago we were releasing product updates every six months and doing manual testing. In 2019, there were more than 1,300 product releases, with some teams releasing updates daily,” says Matt Hilbert, technology writer at the company. “The skills required to achieve that are different from those that were required in the past, so training and personal development needs to adapt and change along with the changes in how technology itself is developed.” While those with the right skills are increasingly in demand, other workers feel under fire from new technology that puts jobs at risk or removes autonomy, says Dr Philip Stiles, university senior lecturer in Corporate Governance at Cambridge Judge Business School. “Often job titles are becoming almost obsolete after two or three years so there’s a lot of churn. I think even people at very high levels in organisations are working very hard just to stand still ultimately. We have all sorts of things like stress and depression/anxiety-related disorders. It’s a huge problem.”
many of us, though, whether it’s hightailing it all the way to the top of the ladder or achieving recognition for our workplace contribution and, yes, being needed, our careers are far more than that – they’re an important part of who we are. Most of us, occasional grumbles aside, get a great deal of fulfilment from our jobs. Two thirds of Brits enjoy going to work – to the point that the majority wouldn’t trade a satisfying post for a far better paid job that they dislike. With these positive attitudes, it stands to reason that you’re likely to want to get better at what you do for a living. The best way to boost your career, apart from the basics of turning up on time, being nice to people and not getting fired, is to look for training or courses that will hone your existing talents or help you acquire a set of new ones. Seeking out the skills that will ensure you continue to flourish in your job is likely to become increasingly important, given that workplaces are changing at an incredible pace. Our area already has substantial issues with recruitment, points out Jane Paterson-Todd, CEO of Cambridge Ahead, whose members are large- scale, influential businesses, and which has identified a worrying skills gap. “If I had a pound for every time I’ve talked to one of our members or someone in the business community who says that the biggest issue they have is the recruitment and retention of really good staff, I’d be exceptionally rich.” As an economy, Cambridge is growing at well over the national average, yet employers are unable to fill job vacancies in areas like technology, according to Jane. The result? “You don’t end up with a sustainable economy going forward.” It’s complicated by the fact that many companies make future predictions based on the past, something that just has to change, hard though it is, stresses Jane. She wants to see more dynamic conversations,
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ISSUE 05
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