How to develop critical core skills to future-proof your career

In an ever-evolving job market where technological advancements and disruptions are the norm, the importance of soft skills cannot be underestimated.

Technical skills may get you the job, but it is the mastery of soft skills such as critical thinking, innovative problem-solving, effective collaboration and adaptability that propels professionals towards success, says NTUC LearningHub chief core skills officer Anthony Chew. He heads a team that is dedicated to researching, developing and delivering cutting-edge courses that align with industry demands to improve learners’ employability and future-proof their careers.

"Work-related challenges are also growing in complexity," says Mr Chew. "To effectively and efficiently tackle these problems, workers must have the ability to think critically and also interact well with others to leverage each other’s strengths," he adds.

In today's fast-paced professional world, critical thinking has become an indispensable soft skill. Mr Chew emphasises its importance in helping professionals make sense of complex situations and arrive at well-informed decisions. "It is important to see the bigger picture because it enhances your understanding of the problem and enables you to come up with more robust solutions," he says.

For example, ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art language model that can facilitate dynamic conversations, allows users to explore different perspectives and gain deeper insights — a perfect match for honing critical thinking skills.

Imagine a team facing a complex business challenge. By leveraging ChatGPT's vast knowledge and analytical capabilities, they can generate diverse solutions and weigh their pros and cons. This fosters a holistic understanding, leading to more effective problem-solving.

While ChatGPT is a powerful tool, it complements rather than replaces human cognition. Mr Chew stresses the importance of striking a balance between leveraging technology and nurturing human critical thinking, including empathy and ethical considerations.

Effective communication is another crucial core skill for working professionals, and teams must collaborate more to achieve common goals. To do so, sharing knowledge, leveraging each other's strengths and building a cohesive team dynamic is key.

"The word 'communication' seems simple but it's actually difficult to do it right, especially to communicate information clearly and to communicate it with influence," Mr Chew points out.

Take a software developer for example. She may be knowledgeable in her field but in order to get valuable feedback from the product’s users, she would need to explain technical terms and concepts in an easily understandable manner.

Similarly, healthcare professionals need to practise empathy and active listening in addition to having strong interpersonal skills so as to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The end goal is to provide quality care for patients.

"Skills that are relevant today may become obsolete tomorrow, so continuous learning and becoming adaptive are essential to staying relevant in your work," says Mr Chew.

Learning agility – which includes adaptability, digital fluency – is essential to keep up with the fast-paced work environment. Given the dynamic nature of work, professionals must prioritise agility to develop soft skills that enable them to seize new opportunities within and outside their fields.

Recognising the importance of lifelong learning, professional development courses and workshops offer individuals, teams and organisations the opportunity to stay ahead of fast evolving workplace demands and to equip themselves with up-to-date knowledge.

"While hard skills may help you land a job, it is adaptive skills that drive your success and growth in your career," explains Mr Chew. The sooner working professionals focus on developing their soft skills, the sooner they can grow within any organisation.

"The future is changing. If we remain oblivious to these changes, we will be left behind. We need to cultivate curiosity and a thirst for learning and taking up courses to upskill ourselves. We must continuously grow in our knowledge and skills to stay relevant," says Mr Chew.

NTUC LearningHub offers a holistic suite of over 50 courses designed to empower working professionals with the necessary critical core skills for effective influence, collaboration, decision-making, problem-solving and creative thinking, among others.

NTUC LearningHub's core skills academy head Gerald Gan says the courses focus on problem-solving, communication and collaboration, which are based on the critical core skills framework released by SkillsFuture Singapore earlier this year.

For working professionals looking to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, the Professional Development Series: Develop Problem Solving Skills for Professionals course can help you make an objective evaluation of the situation and make better informed decisions, while business leaders and managers can take the Business Stratagem: Sun Tzu Art of Strategic Decision course to develop strategic decisions that are aligned with your business goals and priorities.

For those looking to hone their communication skills, courses such as Presenting with Influence are offered to working professionals who want to establish authority and credibility in presenting their thoughts and ideas to influence others in decision making, while the WSQ Deliver Impactful Business Presentations Powered by Wiley course is offered to professionals required to deliver business presentations and undertake public speaking engagements.

And for those who want to be better in collaborating with others, the Champion Employee Wellness: Coach for Mental Well-being is designed for working professionals who want to learn how to support their peers in their mental wellness journey, while middle managers can pick up effective management skills from the Lead with Passion: Effective Management with EQ course, to help them navigate through diverse teams and individuals.

To take up a course, participants can use their SkillsFuture credits, while NTUC Union members can enjoy up to $500 Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) funding.

Developing these critical core skills in today’s work environment can help to set you apart from others and enable you to thrive in your career. For more information, visit the NTUC LearningHub website here.