Technology and Skills
Introduction
Most work up to the 18th century only dealt with natural resources and agriculture. The industrial revolution marked the beginning of manufacturing which replaced the then primary sector in the economy which was agriculture. The uprising in of the 20th century saw the beginning of the dominance of the industrialized economies from the United States and the European countries. In today’s economy the United States is no longer a manufacturing country but a post industrial and service –based economy. It has also been referred to as a knowledge -based economy. This shift of paradigm from agricultural economy to a knowledge based economy has fostered the development of virtual and symbolic objects from the traditional concept of digging and making things. This has mainly been facilitated by various advances of modern technologies. Each employee and person within the country has to have the needed technological skills required in modern day work places
This paper will look at an article by Christopher on Technological and advances and the work place skills shortage. The aim here is to critically examine if the author has presented the true aspects related to employee’s technological skills and modern day workplaces.
Summary of the article
‘Technological advances and the workplace skills shortage’ by Christopher was published in March 12th 2009. The author calls upon employers to provide the necessary technological skills to their employees because lack of such skills leads to great losses within the organization. A business can well function by incorporating the modern technology because they boost efficiency and effectiveness in all the operations of the organization. Employs according to Christopher have to adopt and embrace the changing IT development seen in the world today because this ensures that the company competitive and up to date with modern day changing needs.
The internet is one of the technological advances that have taken place. It is changing yearly and improves communication to becoming fast and easy to communicate between two people of far geographical areas. The internet in the past simply meant website maintenance but currently the internet has incorporated various technologies in a multifaceted way. Doing business in modern day world according to the author, highly needed knowledge and skills in technology which requires employees to be well updated with them.
Employers have to keep coping with and taking the required steps in ensuring there is no shortage of skills among employees. Christopher suggests that this can be done through employing new employees who are well conversant with various technological knowledge and skills or by training the existing employees of technological courses. The second option is however the preferable choice because it is much cheaper than employing new ones and because it fosters employee loyalty.
Employees can be trained as a group or study individually through the courses available online. The most elementary course is on -gaining certificates for various Microsoft technologies for example the MCSE certification. Other courses are web design and online marketing. It is important for employees to be well versed with the greatest and latest technology according to the author. This is because they can feel that they play an important and valuable role in the company leading to the development of locality to the organization. They constantly have to be kept abreast with the latest advances in the technological world through constant upgrading for the future stability of the company. This also makes the employees to be confident and creative in their work. Christopher concludes that skills shortage problem among the employers can easily be rectified through offering the needed skills to employees through training on the lacking skills within the organization.
Comprehensive personal critique of the article and the issue
A change in technology greatly affects how work is done with a specified occupation. As each year passes by, new technological advances are introduced which means that employees have to embraces these changes by adopting the skilled based knowledge of the new advances. The relationship between the employer and employee has greatly been affected by technology as seen in Christopher’s article. The IT is what Christopher sees as a basic knowledge in the organization. In general, computer-based systems which are essential for monitoring the services to customers as well as employee performance. Information technology just like the technological innovations in the earlier generations has changed today’s work in a significant way as well as employment relationship and the labor market. This is an aspect which Christopher has says he calls upon the employers to provide the necessary steps of ensuring that employees get the IT skills which are necessary for the sustainability of the organization.
Almost 70 % of Americans today use computers today for the daily business work which others uses devices of information technology and scanner. The 21st century technology has therefore replaced workers from doing the processing of routine information to taking up programmed strategies in the performance of complex information processing. Information Technology has greatly impacted on work efficiency in two ways. This is by work being replaced by computers which facilitates work movement around the globe and creating a powerful force of employees. Employers according to the Christopher have harness the information technology power else they find their organization being uncompetitive in modern day global market.
The use of information technology completely changes works nature because it constantly demands the adaptation of new technology and when these skills are not common in the organization it leads to skills shortage or skills gap. In most settings a change of business practices and technology always leads to termination or predict employment end. This is seen when Christopher writes, “…employer with two obvious courses of action: they may let go the unqualified employees and replace them with more qualified new personnel….” (Article alley, 2009). Technology revolution has been seen as one main reason of unemployment in which the common work practices are replaced by technology revolution and employing new employees because of their skills in using the modern day sophisticated technological software. Such a mass unemployment happened during the 1800s such as the power saving machines known as the Luddites replaced the weaving frames.
Christopher however is not for the idea of having a mass unemployment process, but instead supports the idea that the new technologies should make employees view then as opportunities where they can add their skills. He calls upon an employee to undertake courses such as MCSE certification which will provide them with the basic IT knowledge. Employers should give the employees these skills or encourage them to do online IT courses to improve their technological skills. This means that instead of employing new personnel they can train the currently employees because it is cheaper and fosters their loyalty to work.
Currently there is a broad scale skill to be learned in modern technologies. In the creation of efficiency business practices and technological advances can be achieved by changing the skills of workers. Employers have known that new skills are required because the current technological innovations also call for skills based technological change. This is however not the case in all the workplace setting in the United States. Many organizations in the United States the challenge of skills gap among employees and skills shortage as well. These skills include both interpersonal and technical which are greatly demanded. Employees can be trained on these skills according to Christopher’s article. The shortage of such skills is mainly seen in organizations which have significant value in the economy. It is not easy to evaluate this skills gap but according to a forecast analyst report it that it is estimated that by 2020 there will be labor shortages especially in jobs of great economic value because they require much skill. Determining efficiency in the United States workforce can be done through examining the overall distribution of skills and education in the workforce within the country. The modern global economy highly demands flexible work place practices and various technological changes. This does not ignore the skills of workers (Befort & Budd 2009, pp, 53-60).
1.technological skills to employees is one of the crucial role of employers . The employers have to ensure that the employees have improved and maintained good communication skills such as writing numerical and reading skills and their ability to cope with various workplace changes. For example employees can take part in WEP which will give them the confidence and ability to empower themselves. These skills can help them cope with new technologies in a much better way. Christopher in his article Technological advances and the workplace skills shortage has managed to set out one of the basic skills required in modern day workforce. He calls upon employees to empower themselves by undertaking courses in IT which will help them in problem solving skills and the general improvement of the work place setting.
‘Technological advances and the workplace skills shortage’ by Christopher reminds employees that they should make efforts of learning new skills to avoid being left behind. This is because organizations are continuously reacting and acting according to the external changes happening in their surrounding. The aim of the company is to gain competitive advantage which necessitates the skills and confidence of employees to achieve this.
Reference
Befort S & Budd J (2009) Invisible hands, invisible objectives: bringing workplace law and public policy into focus Publisher Stanford University Press, pp 23
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