AI, Machine Learning & Data Emerge as Popular Domains for Reskilling Among Working Professionals

Edtech company Simplilearn announced the findings of the Career Impact Survey 2018, which is aimed at analyzing the impact of professional certifications and reskilling among working professionals in India. The findings reveal that Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Machine Learning(ML) are the most widely chosen (25% of respondents) domains for reskilling, followed by Big Data and Data Science (20%) domains.

Other new age categories such as Digital Marketing, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, DevOps, and Agile & Scrum together saw 55% uptake in reskilling among professionals. According to the survey, certification courses helped (31%) professionals to enhance their performance, gain manager and peer appreciation (29 %).  40 % of respondents who have taken certification courses, admitted to feeling more confident at work.

“Going digital is indispensable for a company’s survival today and likewise, it has become crucial for professionals to proactively upgrade their skills to meet the latest industry requirements”, said Krishna Kumar, Founder & CEO of Simplilearn. “The survey outlines how impactful certification courses and reskilling are for professionals who want to acquire the right skills for career advancement opportunities.”

Impact on Career

The industry is ever evolving due to advanced technologies and is enabling more and more professionals to  take charge of their careers through certification courses and reskilling. According to the survey, 44 % of the respondents said that reskilling and certifications impacted their pay raise during the performance appraisal cycle,  while 24 %  of the respondents said it impacted their promotions. Thanks to the benefit of reskilling , 32 % of the respondents were able to move to other departments within their organization. When it comes to job searches,  majority of respondents (62 % ) found professional certifications increased their prospect of finding new jobs.

Future Demand for Reskilling

With organizations around the world adapting to digital transformation, professionals want to proactively hone their technology skills.  Over the next three to six months, 67 % of the respondents want to collectively hone their skills in  Big Data, Data Science, AI, Machine Learning and Cloud Computing. In addition to technology skills, 55 % of the respondents are keen to improve their managerial skills, followed by problem solving skills.