What Skills Do You Need for the Future of Work

We’ve come a long way from the days when the three Rs of “reading, writing and ‘arithmetic” covered all the bases. To find satisfying employment, you will need a much wider range of transferable skills for the future of work.

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

Manufacturing offers the opportunity for clean, high-tech jobs with room for further education and advancement. This may not be the career path you originally considered, but a career in manufacturing can offer you a challenging career, with a healthy work-life balance, and long-term security. Fortunately, there are many organizations dedicated to helping youth get the skills development they need and then find jobs that match their qualifications.

Skills You Need for the Future of Work

According to the RBC Report “Humans Wanted: How Canadian youth can thrive in the age of disruption,” the following skills are crucial to workplace success in the coming years.

Active Listening
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Reading Comprehension
Monitoring
Social Perceptiveness
Coordination
Time Management
Judgement and Decision Making
Active Learning
Service Orientation
Complex Problem Solving
Writing
Instructing
Persuasion
Learning Strategies
Negotiation

Using Your Skills in Manufacturing

The Humans Wanted report goes on to explain how their researchers have grouped Canadian jobs into six clusters, based on essential skill sets: Technicians, Crafters, Doers, Solvers, Facilitators, and Providers. There is a need for each of these six skill sets in the future of manufacturing work. Even with continuing automation, there is still a huge need for human input and interaction. Machines/robots may do the repetitive tasks, but manufacturing still needs people to plan, create, oversee and problem solve.

Where to Find the Training You Need

Don’t worry, there are lots of ways to find out what type of skills development you need for your chosen career path. There are several secondary and post-secondary education, apprenticeship and training options available in eastern Ontario for people who want to work in manufacturing. To start your future of work in manufacturing, look into one of these agencies.

Edge Factor: Connects secondary students to manufacturing employers and training programs in the local region.
Career Cruising:Helps students and others looking for work to identify job opportunities and assess the fit of their skill set.
Apprenticeship Ontario: Explains the benefits of apprenticeships and how to get started.
Elevate Plus: Trains unemployed or underemployed people for manufacturing or food processing jobs in 4 weeks, then provides a 2-week job trial.
GEOfutures: Guides youth to find their ideal career path and access training to equip them with the required skills.

Find More Resources and Training for Future Skills

Download this infographic to discover more resources, programs, and training that can help you to develop manufacturing skills for your future, right now.