Competence development one of the most important working life skills
Careers are progressing differently now, and in the future, than before. This is why, there is a constant need for competence development, and in this context, interaction and networking skills, in particular, play a key role.
In modern working life, the employee must be open to different opportunities during their career, says working life coach and non-fiction writer Miia Savaspuro. It is no longer possible to think of a career as a progressive continuum from grassroots to management tasks. Instead, Savaspuro describes modern careers as landscapes with different views. During their careers, people may, for example, take turns in supervisory tasks and expert work. Understanding this is important because working life is constantly changing. Furthermore, we cannot know, in what kind of work artificial intelligence will replace people, and what new tasks will be carried out by people in the future.
Changes in careers mean that there is a constant need for competence development. Therefore, identifying existing competence and understanding what could need further development, are among the most important working life skills.
Interact and network
Your competence may develop in many ways during your career. Naturally, it develops as you work. You can also learn new things when you encounter new situations or when your colleagues teach you new skills.
As Miia Savaspuro says, we must adapt to the fact that, today and in the future, careers often consist of many different tasks at different levels, either within the same organisation or in several different organisations. In this context, the development of competence, which arises from interaction and networking with other people, will become a key skill. For example, in addition to your main tasks, you can apply for other tasks that are new to you within your organisation. This may be beneficial, for example, when your organisation opens a new position that interests you.
What is important to consider when developing competence based on interaction and networking? First, you should ensure that your supervisors and colleagues are aware of your goals, competence, interests and ideas. This will help them identify your capabilities and show you new opportunities. Secondly, it is a good idea to find out what kind of development opportunities your organisation offers, and whether changing tasks could be a way of deepening and expanding your expertise. It is also worthwhile to look for opportunities outside your own organisation.
In addition, you can develop your competence through training. You can find more information about studying while working at Job Market Finland.
This week, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland published the results of the latest Working Life Barometer, which also highlights the need for support in competence development: "According to the Working Life Barometer, almost three quarters of employees felt that they had good opportunities to reconcile work and other life, in 2023. On the other hand, there is plenty of room for improvement in competence development at workplaces.”