In a time of massive layoffs, furloughs and unemployment, many highly skilled professionals are looking for jobs. It can feel extremely overwhelming being among the 6.65 million Americans already impacted by current economic events.
With so many out of work across various industries, it means that those who are hiring will have a very diverse hiring pool to select from. It’s important for human resources to think about skills sets and qualifications across multiple industries to see if they can apply to current openings in order to give access to so many job seekers.
Re-skilling isn’t a new term, but it could soon see a spike in popularity if the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep various industries closed or otherwise inaccessible. Re-skilling refers to the process of learning new skills so you can do a different job.
I reached out to one of the leaders in re-skilling, Misty Frost, CEO, Carrus, a healthcare learning platform to find out how it’s specifically impacting healthcare right now.
SE: What is re-skilling and why is it important for both individuals and companies?
MF: Re-skilling is the process of learning new skills to be able to do a different job. It’s important to think about differently than traditional education because typically it leads to a certification or credential for a specific job or job type rather than a degree that may or may not lead to employment.
Re-skilling is important to people who have seen their employment in a specific function end or be deferred for a length of time. For example, there are many restaurant, hospitality and service jobs we’re seeing be put on lengthy holds during the COVID-19 crisis. Many if not most of those individuals will not be able to remain unemployed for an unknown length of time. Re-skilling can give individuals job-specific training in areas where they can make as much if not more than they were before, often with more job security. This is particularly true in healthcare, where we know there was a shortage of qualified people and the crisis is only accelerating the number of jobs needed.
Companies benefit from re-skilling as they can take advantage of filling job gaps with seasoned people who now have the appropriate job skills rather than relying solely on too small of a pool of applicants.
SE: What made you passionate about helping people create their best careers?
MF: I deeply believe that everyone should have the option of making a living doing work they find meaningful. I think we’ve all come to realize our traditional education system isn’t for everyone, and there are employment shortages in areas where people who haven’t found a good fit with traditional education.
Having watched friends and family members stay in bad life situations because they couldn’t afford to change made me realize it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be that way. There are good jobs that will provide financial options that empower people. I need to do what I can to give as many people choices as possible.
SE: How does Carrus fit in the education landscape, who is it best for?
MF: Carrus offers online training in skills-based healthcare. Our training leads to certification in many different healthcare jobs. Anyone can take our courses as there is a need in healthcare from everything from coding and billing which is more back office to front line patient care. There is truly something for everyone who wants to work in the field.
SE: Will we see employers look more to re-skilling current employees than hiring outside talent in the future?
MF: I think we will see more and more employers look to re-skill. According to a recent survey by Manpower, 69% of employers are struggling to fill jobs. And it can be six times less expensive to re-skill than to hire externally.
SE: What’s your long-term vision for people being able to create more employment opportunities?
MF: I think one of the best things about being in healthcare training is that a lot of skills are transferable into many specialties. I think as we continue to see the gap of jobs and people to fill them that there will be many more opportunities created for people to take charge of shaping their careers through continual skills acquisition.