Importance of Applied Skills in Workplace

Importance of Applied Skills in Workplace The American job market is growing on a daily basis and at a fast rate. This is as a result of high levels of innovation and investment. The high incidences of immigration coupled with the favorable business environment are other factors that have contributed to the growth of this market.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of Applied Skills in Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The fast and furious growth of the job market has led to the demand for an efficient, qualified and highly skilled labor force. These are the type of employees whose efforts in their lines of duty will go a long way in helping the organizations to achieve their business goals, aspirations and objectives (The High Point Chamber of Commerce 6). However, this achievement will only be attained if the hired workers have all that it takes to sufficiently operate in their working environment. The qualifying factors not only include te chnical skills but also applied skills. This essay will look at the great significance of applied skills in an organization and further explain why and how these skills will be valued in the coming years. Applied skills will absolutely be valued greatly in future because they are crucial to the success of an organization. These skills are those qualities in an employee that enable him or her to successfully carry out his or her duties without experiencing any breakdown or constraint. As much as technical skills form the basis of a good worker, applied skills are necessary for unrestrained coordination between the employees. The most appropriate way of emphasizing the significance of applied skills is to view them as the backbone or frame that holds all the other skills of an employee in order (Clagett 17). The value of applied skills can therefore not be underestimated as far as the financial success and the efficiency of any organization is concerned. Secondly, applied skills will have great value in future because industry leaders are moving away from the traditional practice of placing too much importance on technical skills at the expense of applied skills and the general welfare of the industry (Miller 265).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In his speech at Olin College, Miller acknowledges the significance of technical skills and appreciates the fact that they are these skills that guarantee job security to a new employee (264). This simply means that without these skills, the chances that one will secure a promising type of employment are close to none. Applied skills will be preferred over technical skills in the future workplace because the former assure employers of a long term relationship with the workers. The special importance that is attached to technical skills diminishes once the employee has secured himself or herself the job . In his or her new position, the new employee is faced with an extra task of working in harmony and smooth cooperation with fellow employees. This is where all the employees are gauged afresh irrespective of their level of technical competences. Employers will only be assured of a lengthy employment contract with the job applicant if he or she has the applied skills that the employer is looking for. Those who lack these skills may not be in a position of getting a job. This is because the employer may leave them out in an effort of avoiding future feuds with the employees due to disagreement between them. Applied skills are likely to be preferred over technical skills in future because they assure employees of the type of worker they are seeking to hire. Apart from technical skills, Miller (263) makes a point of identifying other crucial applied skills to any engineering student at Olin College who desires to make it big in the engineering industry. These applied skills include eff ective communication skills, comprehension of ethical responsibilities, readiness to accept and respond to life-long learning and be conversant with contemporary issues that have an impact on the engineering industry. It is possible that employees will look out for such skills in future in order to come up with a desirable work force. Those job applicants who may be lacking these skills will be at a high risk of remaining unemployed for the better part of their lives. These skills do not only apply to the engineering students but to anyone who aims high in the job market.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of Applied Skills in Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Applied skills will be valued in the near future because technical skills have become common everywhere. Presently, there are many people who have acquired incredible degrees and PhDs. Educational certificates no longer carry the same weight t hat they used to a few years back. In fact, their only importance has become to prove that the job applicant actually studied to a certain level and attained the grade that he or she has indicated in the curriculum vitae. There is therefore a major scramble for job opportunities. Because of this reason, technical skills are no longer enough to win someone a job. If these skills were to be used in the current situation, then almost everybody will qualify for at least a job in the market. However, the prevailing condition makes it necessary for job applicants to have other strengths that will give them an added advantage over other job seekers. These are the applied skills which will place those possessing them at a better chance of getting the job. Applied skills will also be preferred over technical skills in future because they will form the rationale for promotions. According to the industry leaders interviewed by Miller (265), a person may be employed based on his or her technica l skills but they are the applied skills that will determine whether such a person will move through the ranks to attain higher positions in the organization. For such a person to attain these positions, he or she must be having a variety of applied skills such as time consciousness, proper budgeting, good organizational capabilities, ability to manage clients and lastly, a good business attitude. The industry leaders pointed out that such an employee will not only move to senior management positions but are also in a position of gaining the presidency of the organization. Applied skills will definitely be valued over technical skills in future workplaces through the ascertaining that a person has these skills before hiring him or her. This can be done prior to the selection of employees, mostly in the course of interviews. There are certain areas in which the applied skills of a job applicant can be assessed. These include critical thinking and problem solving, oral communication, personal etiquette, creativity and the ability to play a role in building effective team work. The interviewers can develop a scale for gauging the level of the above attributes and then awarding the job to the person who gets the highest score when the marks obtained in each of the attributes are totaled.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, applied skills will be preferred to technical skills in future workplaces because of the dynamic and unstable nature of some jobs. While technical skills are rigid and cannot be manipulated to fit into other professions, applied skills are flexible to apply to virtually all professions irrespective of the industry. The nature of some industries is in such a way that they can change in a bid to adjust to the current economic demands. An employee who only possesses technical skills will be of little or no use to an organization that has changed its line of operation. Such an employee will be obliged to lose his or her job. However, an employee who is endowed with efficient applied skills will only have to change one or two things and swiftly adjust to the new working environment. A good example is an organization that has moved to operate from a foreign country. In this instance, an employee who does not know the foreign language of this country may lose his or her job wh ile one who knows the language will gladly move with the organization. Another reason for the future preference of applied skills to technical skills in workplaces is the perception of employers that a combination of applied skills and basic knowledge is a great strength in an employee (Casner and Barrington 254). A combination of these two is likely to do an organization much good compared to technical skills alone. There are circumstances when technical skills cannot help in any way. For example, an employee would need problem solving techniques in order to solve a row between fellow workers at the organization. The employee may also need to exercise critical thinking skills in a situation where the organization is caught in a quandary of conflicting ideas. Applied skills will be valued more in future workplaces because of the need to guarantee customer satisfaction. There are many consortiums of organizations and firms offering similar goods and services to their client at the mo ment. This large number has led to a high level of competition in the market. Because of this reason, firms have realized the need to be unique from others in a bid to woe more customers. Customer-friendly personnel have been the latest efforts exercised by most companies to attract customers. Customers are not just looking out for people who will give them what they want but those who will do it in the best manner possible. Therefore, job seekers who have applied skills will stand a better chance of getting employment as opposed to those who lack the skills. Applied skills will be of great value in the future workplaces because they are responsible for an organization’s growth. Although technical skills form the foundation of an organization, they are bound to remain unchanged and will not help in the expansion of an organization. On the other hand, applied skills can be developed and nurtured to suit the growth and expansion of an organization. These skills can be developed through further training and teaching in seminars or tertiary institutions. The organization can therefore always adjust to the growth needs of the market with the development of these skills. In future, organizations may value applied skills more than technical skills by giving more privileges to those employees who have applied skills as opposed to those who don’t have. These privileges may be in form of commissions, free transport, insurance or longer leaves. These employees will also be assigned important and lucrative assignments that will bring more cash their way. For example, they may be sent to missions in foreign countries or seminars that will further build their skills. Eventually, these employees will be promoted to higher ranks. On the other hand, employees who are only technically competent are likely to stay in their first position for many years or even for the rest of their lives. Finally, future business organizations will value applied skills by creating opportunities for the development of the same in young people. These opportunities can be in form of internships, summer jobs or job shadowing programs (Casner and Barrington 252). The opportunities will give the young people an idea of what is required of them in the job market. This will also help them to develop the applied skills needed in their professions. This will eventually transform the labor force of the country into an effective one that meets the requirements in the market. In conclusion, applied skills are of great value to an organization and will be of even more value in the coming years. These skills will be preferred over technical skills due to a number of reasons such as unrestrained cooperation between employees. Lastly, applied skills will also be valued by rewarding those employees who possess them and nurturing them in young people. Casner, Jill and Linda Barrington. â€Å"Are they Really Ready to Work?† Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11th edition. Behrens, Laurence and Leonard Rosen. New York: Longman Publishing Group, 2010. Print. Clagett, Mary. â€Å"Workforce Development in the United States.† National Center on  Education and Economy, 2006. Web. www.skillscommission.org. Miller, Richard. â€Å"Engineering.† Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11th edition. Behrens, Laurence Leonard Rosen. New York: Longman Publishing Group, 2010. Print. The High Point Chamber of Commerce. â€Å"The High Point Workforce Preparedness Study.† High Point Chamber, 2005. Web. www.highpointchamber.org.