Moms Network

Learn and Earn

Even though the coronavirus pandemic has given us all a lot more time to reflect, staying at home doesn’t have to be a downer. This extra time to ourselves can be spent learning new skills that provide a competitive advantage in many fields. The first step in putting together a learning plan is to plot out what type of educational program would work best for you, and identify if you need to upskill, reskill, or learn an entirely new skillset.

The Difference Between Skilling, Reskilling, and Upskilling

Skilling. Architecting a workforce that requires customized training for a complete set of skills is what companies are facing as the skill gap continues to grow. There are a wide variety of areas that are seeing a noticeable decrease in finding people with the necessary skills to fill roles. Technology is a current hot spot that requires specialized talent from blockchain to AI, cloud computing, and analysis. But the skill gap is wreaking havoc across major areas from creative fields to trades such as plumbing and welding.

Businesses are now being forced to transform quickly, which is pushing industries to deeply reflect on qualifications such as education, whose rapidly rising costs are making the dream of getting a degree unattainable for more and more people. Companies in a variety of industries have launched apprenticeship programs that are opening the door for people with raw talent to learn customized technology skills. EY and IBM have led the charge in tossing out the education requirement in their positions, and this movement is putting pressure on organizations to think outside of the box to fill positions.

Reskilling. Age-old industries like the manufacturing area are now scrambling to reskill slews of workers. As robots are taking the place of humans in factories, workers are now faced with less opportunity to offer value on factory floors. Yet, expertise in maintaining robotic equipment has skyrocketed.

Amazon is investing $700 million in reskilling approximately 100,000+ employees to prepare them to meet the needs of a rapidly changing global market. Amazon’s famously modern warehouses and fulfillment centers are requiring an increasing amount of technical expertise, and this has spurred the multinational company to create internal programs such as the Amazon Technical Academy to meet the growing needs of their organization.

Upskilling, which is learning more advanced skills through additional education and training, has floated to the surface due to the advancement of technology and automation. Upskilling increases knowledge that’s grounded in a skillset that you already have. An excellent example of this is a Software Engineer whose primary work has been in Java, taking courses to learn more modern Cloud technologies.

Skills That Will Set You up for Long-Term Success

Here are a few highly potent skills that are desperately needed in today’s modern workforce.

Coding is the Future

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when deciding to tackle anything in the computer programming space. However, even working knowledge of popular languages such as Python can be useful in pursuing Software Engineering roles, or even hybrid roles that are at the intersection of business and technology. A great place to start is online programs such as Code Academy, but if you feel like you want more base knowledge before tackling a specific course, doing a variety of Massive Open Online Courses known as MOOCs are available through MIT, Coursera or Udemy. Course sampling will allow you to explore a wide range of knowledge that will help you decide on a specific path to pursue.

Graphic Design Will Take you Anywhere

The world of Graphic Design touches every single industry in existence and is becoming more in demand as companies push to compete in the digital age. Getting to know as many programs as you can in the Adobe Creative Suite can set you up for success as either a freelance designer or even working in-house with a company. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are popular programs and an excellent place to begin your learning.

SEO and Paid Search Advertising Knowledge is Gold

The demand for Digital Marketing expertise is rising rapidly. Google’s Digital Garage provides free learning straight from the epicenter of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and the Digital Marketing body of knowledge. Learning gained in this space can lead to a lucrative career in Digital Marketing.

Becoming an EMT Will Advance Your Future and Save Lives

The healthcare industry needs personnel now more than ever before. Becoming an EMT will not only advance your career but will fill the skills gap for the much-needed hero’s that are first responders in times of crisis. Although there are no EMT programs that are entirely online, studying to be an EMT can be completed through self-paced online courses through Study.com. Through this program, students can partake in online EMT training that includes necessary skills such as CPR training, and possibly even how to use an AED.

Conclusion

Time is one of the most valuable assets that we have as human beings. Using this time to learn and add the power of knowledge to your arsenal of professional tools can shape your destiny.

Networking Tips For Aussie Momtrepreneurs

Working moms are the world’s unheralded heroes.

Raising children so that they’re happy, healthy and grow up to contribute in meaningful ways to their communities is already more than a full-time job – but if you’re a mother who manages to balance these duties with running your own business, you deserve the utmost praise and respect.

The internet and associated digital tech might have made it easier to be a work from home mom, because depending on the nature of your business, you can schedule your work around the school run, doctor’s appointments, shopping and everything else.

But any type of entrepreneurship can be isolating and pressured, so getting out to meet people in person can work wonders for your mental health and fast forward your business growth. Your local chamber of commerce is a good source of info on networking opportunities in your neighbourhood, but if you’re prepared to venture to interesting elsewhere in Australia and beyond, this investment in your development may reap long-term rewards.

With that in mind, here are three networking tips for Aussie momtrepreneurs in 2020.

1. Her Horizon, Sydney

Franziska Iseli is an award-winning entrepreneur and founder of Sydney-based international marketing education organisation Basic Bananas, and on February 10^th, 2020 she’s hosting Her Horizon – a half day event ram-packed with pro tips and insights on leadership and growth strategies focused on female success.

If you’ve got an amazing product or service that you want people to know more about, need to scale your enterprise and are open-minded about alternative ways to achieve these aims, this session is definitely for you!

Tip: Check out the Her Horizon Eventbrite page to book tickets before they sell out.

2. Australia China Business Council (ACBC) Vic International Women’s Day 2020, Melbourne

The ACBC does sterling work maintaining the strong, symbiotic relationship between businesses Down Under and partners in China. So whether you’re already involved in this commercial dynamic or would like to find out more about the opportunities it offers, the ACBC International Women’s Day 2020 event on March 5^th, 2020 is a golden opportunity to connect with movers and shakers.

General admission tickets are $160 and more information is available on acbc.com.au.

Tip: Trivago.com.au has great Sydney hotel deals – book ahead for a bargain.

3. EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women, Seoul, Korea

Strictly speaking, EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women is a mentoring program rather than merely an event. Take a look at the ey.com website for full entry details, but the scheme is open to high-potential founding or co-founding female CEOs across the Asia-Pacific region with companies which are at least five years old that they want to grow internationally.

Successful applicants participate in an amazing three day conference in Seoul, Korea on April 6^th– 8^th 2020 and three video training conferences throughout the year.

Tip: Looking4.com has secure airport parking for Mackay, Melbourne and every other Aussie hub if you want to keep your vehicle safe while you’re away learning how to hone your leadership skills.

How Companies Are Creating Pay Equality

Despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act and other fair pay legislation, women in many companies across the United States still earn less than their male colleagues. The pay gap is even more prominent for minority women, who often find themselves among a company’s lowest earners when compared against male or white coworkers. As the American workforce grows in diversity, several organizations are working to remedy this issue by implementing changes from within. Here are three major ways that companies have fought to abolish the wage gap.

Establish Pay Transparency

Discussion of salary within a company has traditionally been a somewhat taboo topic, but some companies are working to eliminate the stigma of discussing pay in hopes that it will promote better wage equality. Oftentimes, pay inequalities remain unnoticed simply because there is a lack of discourse surrounding salary. If employees are openly aware of each other’s salaries and the salaries offered at different levels, this makes it much more difficult for pay inequalities to persist. Additionally, it is beneficial to encourage managers to discuss pay decisions with one another, rather than making choices unilaterally. The more open discourse becomes, the easier it will be to address biases before they become an issue.

Create a Clear Structure for Payment

One of best ways to promote salary transparency while maintaining equality is to implement hiring and payment guidelines. Many businesses operate without clearly established procedures for handling things such as hiring, promotions, and differing levels of experience among employees. To ensure fair pay, companies should institute a compensation structure. This involves looking at market salary data, working with career development professionals, and observing where pay gaps currently exist. It also means that the company must determine precisely what employee skills or experience they are looking for at each pay grade.

Formatting a thorough payment philosophy may take several months or more, but creating a clear framework is a crucial step needed to achieve company-wide pay equality. When a business has a concrete payment policy, managers and employees can look to it for guidance on maintaining pay standards that benefit all workers.

Maintain Oversight

Creating a fair payment structure does little good if that structure is not enforced and maintained. Among companies that have achieved pay equality, a key component of their strategy typically involves making regular salary check-ins. Conducting salary audits at periodic intervals will help managers analyze where issues may arise and stay on track with the company’s equal compensation system.

Another helpful method to maintain pay equity is to eliminate the practice of asking job candidates for their salary history. This is a notable change from the conventional hiring practices at many businesses, but it is one of the best ways to guarantee that new employees do not continuously suffer the effects of discriminatory practices from previous companies. It also incorporates new hires into the organization without undermining the established payment framework.

Achieving pay equality requires effort and dedication from everyone within an organization. Making a sudden move to eliminate wage gaps may be a bold step for a business, but it speaks strongly to the company’s values of fairness and honesty. In the end, this commitment is well worthwhile, and it will contribute to a more positive company image and a better work environment for all employees.