The qualifications the companies look for and need in a professional are not the skills the applicants have to offer

With a rate of unemployment of almost 12 million, Brazil presently has approximately 160,000 workforce vacancies in technology area along. This is an increasingly visible and undeniable reality. After all, the relevant point is that the qualifications the companies look for and need in a professional are not the skills the applicants have to offer. The outcome is that there is no match.

Because of this, it would be easy to discuss the reasons that have led us to the discrepancy within this sector. For instance, considering the state of education and the qualifications of the younger workforce is essential. Nevertheless, more than discussing these issues and the gap between education and work, it is necessary to problem solve this situation. Is it not the time companies invested even more in new professional qualifications?

The advantages of investing in qualification actions are countless. They would surely be fundamental to accelerating the training of a new professional generation across the world. This is due, firstly, to the social function of worker qualification programs and their benefits to the community and the economy in general. As fundamental parts of society, companies have the duty to support people’s transformation in life and in their careers.

Moreover, investing in professional qualification can offer several competitive advantages to organizations. Have you ever imagined, for instance, how much it costs to seek out, select, hire and integrate a professional into your team? Anyone who experiences the day to day routine of company knows that going through these stages requires time, effort and money. This then shows that professional qualification initiatives can be incredibly useful to identifying talent and reducing costs associated with the ongoing process of seeking out experienced workers.

As a technical and professional education program is adopted, companies can address their needs and build a talent profile that will be more assertive and better matched to their operation challenges. This model adds a more attractive cost-benefit ratio, expanding team profitability and efficiency. The synergy between professionals of different graduation levels also represents an opportunity to maximize knowledge, reinforce company image and reduce project costs in a way that previously engaged only senior and fulltime collaborators.

Furthermore, surveys point out that companies who rely on solid qualification programs usually have lower turnover rates than their competitors. It is estimated that this difference can be upwards of 20%, depending on the operation field of each corporation.

It is also worth noting that, according to a DIEESE survey, one of main causes of high turnover rates is a lack of training and qualification – 45% of professionals who leave their jobs state that the lack of opportunities and structured qualification programs to aid them in progressing in their career was a major incentive to leave in search of new professional challenges.

Helping a professional to enter and remain in the job market, offering opportunities to keep the team qualified and within what the market requires is, therefore, an increasingly strategic motion for any company. To accomplish this, it is recommended to establish partnerships with credible educational institutions that attract younger professionals who are interested in building a successful career, and to implement a solid continued qualification program within the organization that focuses on skills required to improve business outcomes and employee satisfaction.

Not only will this result will help to fulfill current open vacancies, it will also enable increased talent retention within organizations. Retention of qualified professionals is already more important than the initial attraction of this talent.  This is how companies can overcome the worker gap and create a generation of professionals – in technology and beyond – that are more satisfied. 

It is always important to highlight that global organization surveys indicate that there are more than 3 million vacancies across the world in the technology field alone. Many of these vacancies can be fulfilled by younger professionals who still do not have the knowledge required, but who demonstrated passion and will to learn, or by full or senior level professionals who are willing to reach new horizons. These talents can renew company opportunities however, organizations (and their leaders) need to give priority to creating opportunities for this advancement and education.

Today, it is my opinion that creating professional qualification and development strategies is an extremely profitable and efficient path to ensure team stability, and furthermore to improve company business options, paving the way to innovation and ensuring a personnel retention rate of more than 80%. It is time to look at the talent that emerges within the company, bringing younger professionals and new ideas to department routine and seizing the experience and talent of those who have already proven their value.

Nobody is prepared to manage a pandemic of global proportions alone.

Nobody is prepared to manage a pandemic of global proportions alone. We cannot function without leadership. Of all the changes we have experienced recently, including new developments in the pandemic, the main lesson we can  learn so far is the following: each one of us has their role, however, it is

fundamental that we have leadership that is capable of organizing decisions and providing a closer and more sustainable environment for people. In the IT field, such leadership has become even more necessary due to the dynamic nature of new technology advancements.

These are clearly not simple times. The COVID-19 outbreak is a matter of public health with unprecedented emotional and financial impacts – surely bigger than anything we have experienced in the 21^st century. Thus, apart from the crisis, the pandemic will also highlight a shift in paradigm by changing several work models that were, up to recent times, relevant. 

For instance, we are living during a time where empathy and partnerships have become much more relevant in the lives of people. More than predicting outcomes, leaders need to offer a human vision as well as the support required to build confidence in each collaborator on their team. 

I think we have to offer alternatives to the upcoming reality of the world. After all, the only certainty is that, sooner or later, the virus will be defeated, and we will have to reestablish the structure of society. Stimulating different ideas and viewpoints is a strategy we had been applying in our companies prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and that will surely be important in rebuilding.

Overall, I believe we have been so set in our routine and familiar with an excess of options that due to the current stoppage caused by the Coronavirus on a global scale, we have fallen in a state of shock. Gaining traction will surely require even more focus and energy – something essential to leaders during these unprecedented times. It will also require a more inclusive approach and, as we have stimulated in our own group, a more collective proposal that is values people and promotes empathy. 

Today’s leader must, from my point of view, support their people and their viewpoints and offer by means of emotional intelligence the opportunity for them and the organization to resume their ongoing evolution and improvement.

It is worth noting, however, that this need to value people did not arise from the pandemic. The virus has stressed a demand that was already crucial to any company’s leadership structure. Before COVID-19 came about, surveys already indicated that most organizations needed to review their leadership as well as their collaboration and participation concepts. For the ones who experience the company’s day-by-day and team routine this feeling was already present. 

The issues related to the Coronavirus only stressed a need that had been neglected by several companies. As a result, it now seems urgent that leaders approach empathy, emotional intelligence, resilience and collaboration as vital structures within their organization. These soft skills will enable managers to understand their people’s challenges, to search for new perspectives for their teams and to transform business as a whole.

I really believe that the modern leader must seize opportunities to build partnerships, to look at its audience with care, and to establish a maximum level of collaboration among everyone pursuing the same goal. Perhaps the biggest change between the leader of the past and the leader of the future is realizing that, besides promoting confidence, it is also necessary to foster hope. 

It is now the time to inspire our teams, to take care of our people and to show how organizations can help the world. Moving forward, it will be necessary to balance forces and engage teams in rebuilding together. This will not be

possible without leaders who are aware of the greatest asset an organization possesses; its people. The professionals who will become stronger through this crisis will be the ones who manage to respond more quickly to market changes and to guide their team and companies to new growth. The challenges we are facing are huge, but the good news is that technology has anticipated this unlikely scenario and it is already possible to accelerate this transformation process by humanizing it.