Future Skills – Interview with Petra Schmidt, Future Learning Consultant at ERGO Group AG
In which areas do you currently see the greatest need for cross-disciplinary skills? How do you weigh soft skills against hard skills?
I cannot provide an industry-wide answer here; for our company, I currently see the focus in the following areas:
Increasingly, digital competencies: In almost all areas of our company, digital skills have become indispensable in professional everyday life, whether in dealing with software, data analysis, or digital communication tools. Naturally, with regard to Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality, new requirements for digital competencies are constantly emerging.
As the demand for digital competencies changes and increases, competencies that we categorize as soft skills are becoming all the more important. I would particularly like to mention these five competencies:
Communication Skills: The ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and appreciatively is crucial in many areas, especially when working in teams and interacting with customers.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: These skills are important for overcoming challenges and developing innovative solutions, especially concerning the use of AI applications like GPT.
Teamwork and Collaboration: The ability to work effectively in a team is becoming increasingly important, as many projects are set up interdisciplinarily.
Adaptability: In a rapidly changing work environment, the ability to adapt to new situations and technologies is of great importance.
Resilience: Resilience is crucial in today's work environment, as it enables employees to cope better with stress and change. It fosters the ability to learn from setbacks and quickly adapt to new challenges, which is vital in dynamic environments. Moreover, resilience contributes to long-term mental health and job satisfaction, which in turn improves team dynamics and productivity.
Regarding the weighting of soft and hard skills, it is important to find a balance. Hard skills, meaning specific expertise and technical abilities, are often the prerequisite for many professions and activities. Soft skills, on the other hand, such as communication, teamwork, and adaptability, are crucial for the long-term success of individuals and their personal career development. In many cases, soft skills can be decisive for success in a competitive environment.
I consider both skill categories important, with the trend increasingly leaning towards a greater emphasis on soft skills, as these are often critical for collaboration and personal growth. One aspect for the growing emphasis on soft skills could also be that technical knowledge is increasingly provided by technologies like AI.
Do you see a discrepancy between the demand for training and further education formats by employees and the current requirements in companies?
I see it as our task in further education to resolve the discrepancy between the demand for training and further education formats by employees and the current requirements in the company by providing offerings that simultaneously contribute to the corporate strategy of ERGO and support the individual training needs of employees. Many employees want to develop professionally and acquire new skills and knowledge, particularly in areas such as digital competencies and soft skills. These are precisely the competencies that are also required by the business.
We therefore pay close attention to the needs of the company, customers, and our employees. We adapt our formats and trainings to these needs. For several years now, we have not only offered classic webinars and seminars but also short formats that our employees can attend without registration and that address current learning needs and provide impulses for further development.
We actively engage in dialogue with employees and management and continuously adapt our training strategies and offerings to these needs.
Tasks and functions in numerous professional fields will change in the future; some positions may disappear entirely, while others will emerge. In which areas do you see the greatest potential for change, and what impact will this have on the job requirements for employees? Can you define the main driving factors of these shifts?
The world of work has always been in a state of change! Today, changes in the work environment are driven by various factors, and there are areas where the greatest potential for change is expected:
Technological Progress: Automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and digital transformation will influence many traditional professions. Repetitive tasks that are rule-based may experience more significant changes, while new, currently unknown professions will emerge.
Flexible Working: The changing job profiles will therefore demand skills in self-organization, digital communication, and teamwork over distance more than ever before.
The impact of these changes on the requirement profiles of employees is significant. The demand for digital competencies will increase, as will the necessity to adapt quickly to new technologies and working methods. Soft skills such as adaptability, critical thinking, and communication skills will become increasingly crucial as employees work in dynamic and often interdisciplinary teams.
We proactively respond to these changes to continue to be successful in the evolving work environment.
How do you weigh the importance of hard and soft skills in this context? Is there a rule of thumb for which skills employees should pay more attention to at a certain career stage?
The weighting of hard and soft skills is of great importance, as both categories play different but complementary roles. Hard skills, meaning technical and specialized abilities, are often the foundation for fulfilling specific tasks and are particularly important in the early career stages when mastering expertise is crucial.
As careers progress, soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and adaptability gain significance, as they support long-term success and the ability to lead in interdisciplinary teams.
Ultimately, all employees and leaders should strive for a balance between both categories of skill to foster both technical competencies and the ability to collaborate and adapt to changes. I personally believe that soft skills will increasingly receive greater emphasis.