Every company's journey to digital change is different, depending on its goals and challenges. But making sure you have the right people and a good training plan is always the first step to success. Through our ongoing discussions with customers, a common concern emerges – the disparity between the demand for robotic process automation (RPA) expertise and its limited availability.
The benefits of upskilling and reskilling initiatives are extensive. Acquiring new skills or deepening existing expertise opens doors to new career opportunities and enhances job security for individuals. For organisations, such initiatives lead to improved productivity, increased innovation, and a competitive edge in the market.
Globally, the skills gap is a growing concern for businesses. According to a survey by the World Economic Forum, by 2025, approximately 50% of all employees will require significant reskilling due to automation and digital transformation. This underscores the importance of addressing the skills gap to ensure the long-term success of both individuals and organisations.
Apart from designing automation and digital transformation plans for our clients, we also actively engage in upskilling their workforce. Drawing from our wealth of experience, we are happy to share the ultimate guide on empowering your employees through targeted upskilling initiatives.
Identifying Knowledge Gaps in Your Organisation
Understanding the skill sets and responsibilities of your employees is crucial for crafting a tailored learning strategy. Our software partner, Uipath, suggests implementing an automation competency matrix which assesses both individual and team proficiency, highlighting areas of expertise and those needing improvement.
Individual Development: The matrix provides individuals with insights into the specific skills required to excel in their roles. This fosters personal awareness and enables employees to focus on enhancing their abilities relevant to their job responsibilities.
Team Overview: By utilising the matrix, teams gain a comprehensive understanding of their collective strengths and weaknesses to address any deficiencies collaboratively.
Organisational Overview: On a broader scale, the matrix offers organisational insights into existing competencies and areas requiring enhancement. These insights guide strategic decisions regarding where to allocate resources for learning and development initiatives. Investing in these areas fosters organisational growth and improved functionality.
Dispelling the Myth that Automation Training is Solely for IT Staff
Some individuals may believe that automation is exclusively the responsibility of IT professionals, and thus, only they need to upskill for the organisation's digital transformation journey. However, this notion is far from accurate. Automation transcends the realm of IT and can be integrated into various aspects of employees' work lives.
While IT teams are responsible for implementing, maintaining, and updating automation systems, the usage of these tools extends to every member of the organisation.
To dispel the myth, it is essential to address any doubts employees may have and highlight the positive aspects of automation. One effective approach is to showcase tangible benefits through real-life examples. Demonstrating how automation has enhanced productivity, reduced repetitive tasks, and facilitated skill enhancement in various teams can effectively illustrate the concrete advantages of embracing automation.
Designing Role-Based Training
When devising your training objectives, it's crucial to align them with the capabilities of your automation tools. Consider what success means for each department and role. Is it about speeding up processes, reducing errors, or ensuring customer satisfaction? Tailor your training programme to directly address the practical applications of automation in your team's daily operations.
Achieving a clear understanding of each role's requirements and challenges takes time. It involves reviewing internal processes, conducting interviews, and observing team members during their work. By gaining insights into how each role functions within the organisation, you can customise training content to meet specific needs and enhance effectiveness.
Seeking Feedback from Learners and Maintaining Constant Communication
This underscores the importance of fostering interactive and hands-on training experiences while actively soliciting feedback from participants. Structured testing or informal discussions can be used to gauge learners' understanding and engagement with the material.
Encouraging individuals to reflect on what they've learned and share their thoughts can create a more enriching and immersive learning environment. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into areas that may require further training, innovative applications of the tools, and any barriers to adoption that need addressing.
Sustaining momentum entails regular check-ins and providing a platform for individuals to ask questions and offer suggestions. Establishing internal communication channels or offering real-time assistance encourages collaboration among employees, enabling them to troubleshoot challenges collectively. This proactive approach also allows for the identification of common stumbling blocks that may necessitate additional training or enhancements to the automation tools themselves.
Going the Extra Mile: Cultivating RPA Champions and Establishing an Excellence Centre
Taking a proactive approach, many organisations opt to nurture and designate RPA champions within each department. These champions play a pivotal role in guiding their colleagues along the path to proficiency, fostering trust in the process. Some organisations even go a step further by establishing a small Centre of Excellence (CoE) dedicated to providing ongoing support and resources.
Your RPA champions or CoE team should possess a deep understanding of automation technology and its applications within your business. This enables them to troubleshoot issues, share best practices, and disseminate success stories across departments. By leveraging their expertise, organisations can foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, ensuring the seamless integration and maximising the benefits of automation throughout the organisation.
At Enterprise RPA, we stand ready to support organisations at every step of their automation journey. From providing comprehensive training workshops to guiding clients through the intricacies of automation implementation, we are committed to ensuring our clients' success in harnessing the full potential of automation technologies.
Chat with our consultants to delve into automation workshop, continuous process management, digital transformation strategies tailored to your needs.
Reference: Uipath, World Economic Forum