The skills companies need most in 2019 – and how Cegos can help your teams develop them

Published on 11/01/2019

The New Year brings with it the promise of a new start, goals to achieve and things to learn. It makes it the ideal time to promote professional skills and learning development as employees will be re-energised to develop their skills in January. According to research carried out by LinkedIn data there are 50,000 professional skills out there in the world, that’s a lot to learn! This is an overwhelming amount to get to grips with and realistically out of these 50,000 employees could be learning a couple skills a month, but which to choose? The same research by LinkedIn analysed hundreds of thousands of job postings in order to determine which skills companies need most in 2019. From this, we’ve looked at the Cegos UK catalogue of skills and have curated the following list to help you decide. So, whether it be face-to-face, virtual or e-learning you’re interested in, think of this as your own guide to the key skills to learn in 2019.

Key Skills Companies Need Most in 2019

Professional skills will always be an asset for you and your employees to have, because they can be used at all levels of an organisation and can be developed continuously. The skills below are important not only for the day-to day running of a company but also for the ability to drive your business forward.

1. Creativity

Why it matters: To drive any business forward, creativity is key. Whether it be high level business strategy, marketing campaigns or on the spot problem solving.Cegos Programmes:Virtual classroom, face-to-face and blended programmesCreativity and Innovation, Creative Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Developing Creativity.E-LearningSuccessfully animate a creativity session, The five secrets of creative minds.

2. Persuasion

Why it matters: Having a great idea, strategy or product is one thing, but it’s another to be able to persuade others to embrace or buy it.Cegos Programmes:Virtual classroom, face-to-face and blended programmesInfluence and Persuasion, Influencing Without Authority, Negotiation Skills and Social Intelligence.E-LearningThree levers for building winning cooperation, The art of persuading through listening, Convincing customers with a winning offer, Using formal power to encourage debate, Using emotions to build trust and Using your charisma in difficult situations.

3. Collaboration

Why it matters: The ability to collaborate in the growing global workplace is increasingly important.Cegos Programmes:Virtual classroom, face-to-face and blended programmesCollaboration, Emotional Intelligence, Meeting Management, Teamwork and Team Building, Virtual Team Building and Management.E-Learning:Triggering the dynamics for change, Building win-win relationships with your team.

4. Adaptability

Why it matters: As new solutions and processes arise, an adaptable mindset is vital to keep up with developments in the workplace.Cegos Programmes:Virtual classroom, face-to-face and blended programmesChange Management and Resilience, Managing Workplace Anxiety, Improving Mindfulness, Increasing Your Happiness, Coaching and Mentoring.E-Learning Improving communication by adapting to others and Increasing your productivity in a fast-paced world.

5. Time Management

Why it matters: Time management is essential, there’s no doubt. The skills of managing your time effectively will always be beneficial no matter what project you’re working on.Cegos Programmes:Virtual classroom, face-to-face and blended programmesWork-Life Balance, Project Management, Planning For Results. E-Learning: Dealing with time-consuming tasks, Strategic time management, Focusing on your priorities, Improving performance through time perception and Increasing your productivity in a fast-paced world.

6. People Management

Why it matters: Businesses are constantly evolving environments and excellent management skills need to keep up. It’s no longer about commanding or controlling but about empowering and coaching those you manage.Cegos Programmes:Virtual classroom, face-to-face and blended programmesManagement Essentials, Managerial Intelligence Level 1, Managerial Intelligence Level 2, Leading and managing performance reviews, Cross-functional management and Managing Managers, Coaching and Mentoring, Conflict Resolution, Delivering Constructive Criticism, Developing New Managers, Employee Motivation, Leadership And Influence and Women in Leadership.E-LearningFostering and maintaining motivation, Ensuring cross-functional coordination, Creating a vision of the future, The situational skills of the manager, The relational skills of the manager and The emotional skills of the manager.

7. Sales Leadership

Why it matters: Good sales skills are an asset that will always be a fundamental part of a business and the best way to ensure a sales team is performing is to have great sales leaders. They will be able to drive sales, motivate team members and bring in new concepts.Cegos Programmes:Virtual classroom, face-to-face and blended programmesBest Sales Manager's Secret, Creating and Leading customer oriented teams.E-LearningMotivating your sales team for action, The roles and attitudes of successful sales managers,Successful commercial meetings.

8. Customer Service

Why it matters: In the digital world of social media, one poor customer experience can be shared with the world. Make sure your customer service will be the positive experiences that are talked about.Cegos Programmes:Virtual classroom, face-to-face and blended programmesLegendary Customer Service, Customer Service Fundamentals.E-Learning Key factors in long-term customer relationships, Customer relationship: practising active listening, Customer relationship: building trust, Customer relationship: the stakes,Customer relationship: reaching agreement.So to make sure your business is firing on all cylinders for 2019 get in contact and see where Cegos can support with developing these skills within your organisation! If you’re interested in learning more about how Cegos can help you with any of the programmes mentioned in this post, drop us a line by completing the form below indicating which skills are of most interest.