Commenting on the rising interest of Indian professionals in upskilling, Mr Ritesh Kumar, Country Lead, Wiley India said, “The job market has undergone a major overhaul over the past few years. One trend we’re seeing is that job candidates are actively seeking to acquire new skills, and at the same time, employers are increasingly adopting a skills-based hiring approach.”

According to a report by Gartner, the total number of skills required for a single job has increased by 10% year-over-year since 2017. Meanwhile, a LinkedIn survey revealed that 40% of its hirers used a skills-first approach to fill open roles—up 20% year-over-year. Professionals and employers — not just in India but across the world — are having a moment of reckoning and realising continual upskilling and reskilling is essential to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving economy.

As a global leader in research and education, Wiley understands and recognises the changing needs of learners and professionals. Wiley is working dedicatedly towards one of our core impact areas- shaping workforces by bridging the skill gap and connecting education to career outcomes.

In India, Wiley’s online executive education program partner supports educators and universities of repute across India and Singapore. With WileyNXT’s quality services and support to institute partners, the company is helping professionals and learners get certified in in-demand skills focused on industry 4.0 and 4.1 technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and more.

Globally, Wiley is providing University Services to institutions worldwide and helping power affordable and accessible high-quality educational programs tied to career outcomes.

Ritesh said, “Amongst our suite of services- we also have Wiley Edge, which is helping corporations in India and across the globe unlock the potential within their existing workforces through upskilling and reskilling programs. This talent development service is supporting companies in creating skilled talent that they need while supporting their employee retention and recruitment efforts — a need that has grown more acute during the Great Resignation.”

“With the increasing acceptance and adoption of online professional learning and upskilling courses in India, we will continue contributing towards building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” he added.

Dr Harpal Thethi, Corporate Relations & Career Planning, Lovely Professional University, said, “Pandemic came in as a great master, when it comes to the quest of getting up skilled for our workforce, across all levels starting from the fresh Academic graduates to working professionals.”

According to a report, more than 70% of people chose to upskill to take advantage of new opportunities as occupations in newer sectors rose in the pandemic (2021). 

“Companies today are cognizant of the fact that talent can come from anywhere, which in a way has spurred the quest for upskilling among professionals. We have witnessed a spike in the learning of new-age skills like business strategy-Metaverse, Zero energy systems managers, transformation leadership roles coupled with knowledge of Big data, Analytics, Artificial intelligence, Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality with Machine Learning and Automation,” he added.

Thethi further said, “We see a sharp rise in multiple cycles of learning, applying and unlearning, followed by relearning of traits, thanks to a shortage of time in market and time to market for any technology.”

Mr John Kallelil, Founder and Director of XED said, “Over the past two years, senior leaders across industries and geographies have been updating their skillsets to boost proficiencies and prepare for the modern era that mandates the knowledge of technology, futuristic skillsets, and leadership capabilities to brace multifaceted challenges of the new age. We have seen an increase in demand for public programs in the field of digital leadership and general management with time, providing immense business growth and opportunities to expand. With technology and the pandemic acting as an enabler we have noticed the significant shift in consumer behaviour toward online executive learning that will sustain in the near future”.