Anybody who paid attention to the latest Stats SA figures, regarding this country’s unemployment rate, knows that hanging onto their job is pretty important.

I don’t want to ruin your Friday, and I know you’re probably an industry leader in your field (that’s just the calibre of people who read this site), but many South Africans are looking over their shoulders these days with regards to retrenchment.

The reality of the situation is that we should all be upskilling, all the time, although the common misconception is that you have to fork out the cash to do so.

Well, you’re wrong. Workforce experts ManpowerGroup SA have a little something called PowerYou training platform, and it’s basically the ace up your sleeve.

Here’s Skills Portal:

PowerYou provides free online access to thousands of online courses covering a range of topics from software applications to business, to the most in-demand programming languages like SQL, JAVA and C#.

“Online platforms like this provide the opportunity for people of all ages to easily and conveniently upskill themselves, achieve certifications and ensure they remain in-the-know and employable – which not only bodes well for them, but their employers and the economy at large too,” says Lyndy van den Barselaar, Managing Director at ManpowerGroup SA.

Remember when we spoke about how there’s serious money to be made in python (and other types) of coding? Well, get on that.

Upskilling isn’t limited to the tech side of things, of course, because the 10 000-plus free online courses cover everything from accounting to marketing and communication skills, right through to Word and Excel lessons and everything in between.

In other words, if you want to safeguard against being high and dry in the unfortunate event of being retrenched, knowledge is power:

“Possessing transferrable skills is one of the most important factors for job seekers and employees in an uncertain economic climate, as it means they will be able to fulfil more than one role within an organisation (often safeguarding them from the retrenchment process) or that they will be able to apply for more than just one role should they find themselves looking for a job. Transferrable skills may even allow them to fulfil a role in a completely different sector or industry,” explains van den Barselaar.

There’s also the small matter of nailing down a raise at your current gig. Tell your boss you’re upskilling, eliminate a co-worker, take their job and their paycheque.

Eat or be eaten, friends.

You can register for FREE on the PowerYou online training platform, and if you’re a good person you might want to tell your friends to do the same.

You can also have a peek around ManpowerGroup SA’s job listings here, and if you want to throw your name into the hat for future jobs, upload your CV here.

Worldwide, they connect more 600 000 people to meaningful work across a wide range of skills and industries every day, so best to have them on your side.

It’s a jungle out there – upskill, outwit, outplay, outlast.

[source:skillsportal]