Reskilling is a term used to refer to the process of acquiring new skills or knowledge to adapt to the changing demands of the labor market.
This includes providing workers with the tools they need to develop competencies in emerging work areas or to update their existing skills in response to technological advances.
The main goal of reskilling is to enable workers to remain relevant and employable in the new work landscape. This may include training in technical skills, such as programming or data analysis, as well as developing soft skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking or effective communication.
Organizations are aware of the importance of reskilling in the ever-changing world of work. At the same time, workers also recognize the need to adopt and acquire new skills.
Mara Gabriela Gómez, Human Resources Manager at Segurars, a leading digital insurance broker in Latin America with presence in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, explains that technology and technological advances are here to stay, and it affects not only sector technology, But for all areas of an organization.
How digital transformation shapes employment
“Digital transformation is already a global phenomenon. Administration and all employee sectors such as finance, HR, marketing are being crossed by the phenomenon of digital transformation where, depending on the maturity of each organization, it automatically achieves has been and reshape the way we work and automate tasks”, says the expert.
At the same time, Gisela Menghini, COO of Segurars, says that “to the extent that technological progress breaks down into different economic and social sectors, it necessarily forces us to rethink professional models.”
“The tasks have been modified as well as the preparation and training required by various actors to carry them out,” he added.
However, this phenomenon is not progressing at the same pace all over the world and in all regions. “For technological progress to happen, there must be an appetite for investment. An investment that nurtures and breeds research and experimentation. And, like many other sectors, investment arises first in more solid economies”, concludes Menghini. does.
Re-conversion towards IT sector
How do traditional professions contribute to the technology sector? Talking about the current situation IT teams are going through today, Gisella Menghini explains that the technology industry is not what it was twenty years ago. “Today we find ourselves with a much more human profile, more oriented towards business results and thinking about what added value we bring to the customer”, he explains.
According to the COO, “Over time, the technology sector began to understand that it needed to incorporate what we call ‘soft skills’ and, moreover, that the best way to incorporate them was to acquire them from other sectors as Had to bring along the expertise of.”
“This is how we learned that we can develop very good functional analysts, QA teams, and even project leaders in areas like operations, where experience with customer relationships, products, processes, and an understanding of their pain points helped a lot.” Developments in technology”, emphasizes Gisela Menghini.
And he offers concrete examples: “I’ve seen teaching professionals become excellent trainers when it comes to training new functionalities. Or even marketing professionals enrich UX positions.” “We see it all in Segarsere daily,” insists the technologist.
Soft skills are required in IT
Gabriela Gomez points to some key skills that are essential across IT profiles and teams, and that have nothing to do with technical or programming aspects. Instead, they have to do with soft skills:
- Openness and flexibility to anticipate and/or quickly adapt to technological changes.
- team work. We work by projects, where it is necessary to generate harmonious and effective synergy to achieve challenges and projects.
- tie. To customize the project it is necessary to understand the requirement of the client.
- assertive communication. A good mix between technical skills and soft. Gomez says, “I enjoy and love it when, in an interview, I can have a fluent conversation with such technical profiles. Also, I usually thank some of the candidates, because from that conversation, I can learn something else in terms of technological development.” ,
Menghini points out that, although knowing how to program adds enormous value, not only because of the way the product is delivered but also because of how the programmer’s mind is structured, there are very important positions within IT teams that are tied to these soft skills.
Role of Product Manager and Project Manager
Alejandro Doria belongs to Argentina and is 28 years old. Works as a Product Manager (PM) in a foreign company. Although there is no precise definition of what a PM is, as it depends on the type of industry and company culture, Industrial Engineer states that, in the TEC industry, a PM is in charge of “a combination of technical and technical equipment”. . , coordinate them with the design, and turn these two great aspects into real solutions that you can offer to your customers”.
“In my specific case, in the software industry, the product I focus on is a piece of software that we sell and offer in a market where we want to attract customers who want to make their lives easier.” Let’s chat that piece up”, enter Doria.
However, the Product Manager does nothing alone. So explains Doria, who assures that “a very important role within the functions of a product manager is to assemble a team with people suitable enough to be able to perform on technical issues”. “Because the product manager is not an expert in anything, but knows a little bit about everything: how to set up the team and the requirements of software development,” he adds.
“This is a job in which you have to interact with the entire company where you are working because inevitably, sooner or later, you will have to interact with the sales, development, design, legal and compliance areas. Basically From that, you have a tangential role to everyone else in the company,” suggests Doria.
To the engineer, a product manager’s success is based on building a team and building relationships with the team, which allows you to evaluate whether what you want to do is technically feasible, from a design perspective Something usable (UX and UI).) and profitable. Finding the balance between these three edges is the role of the little product manager”, he concluded.
Lucas Gioffre, 29, is another Argentine who works as a project manager for a foreign company. When asked about his role, the young man differentiates between the role of a product manager and a project manager.
“The Product Manager concentrates one hundred percent on the product and its success in the market in which he is going to work. His mission is to study the market, what the product is going to be, if it is going to be compatible or not. , where are you going to put it, what functionalities is it going to have the most impact on the end user, be it IT or a physical product”, he begins.
And he continues: “The project manager, on the other hand, can be completely detached from the product and has to focus on managing the project: meeting project objectives, deadlines, budgets, analyzing risks. Who can play a key role. The project manager has to coordinate with the project team, achieve the objectives and tasks raised, monitor the progress and ensure that everything is completed as per the schedule and budget.” A product manager, a PM, is in charge of “combining technical and technological tools, coordinating them with design, and turning these two great aspects into real solutions that you can offer your customers”.
Typically, larger companies have separate teams, he explains. “In my case, I joined the company under the role of Project Manager to lead several web page projects. We set up e-commerce: we create and manage products from A to Z, ie we Not only do the development but we also we are in charge of the UX and UI design, which is the user experience and interface that we are going to give it”, explains Geoffr.
“In my role, apart from communication, management and leadership skills, there is a lot of risk analysis. On day to day basis we face many problems and for one problem, we have different options or avenues And there are times when “with the information we have, it’s not enough to know which of these routes is the best. My role also required that decisions be made knowing the risks involved”, he maintains.
As the information technology industry continues to grow at a breakneck pace, it is becoming increasingly clear that technical skills are no longer sufficient to succeed in this field. Soft skills such as effective communication, teamwork, and adaptability have become essential for IT professionals in today’s world of work.
These skills are what allow individuals to not only excel at their jobs, but also build strong relationships, lead teams, and find innovative solutions to challenges along the way.
