IT professionals go in for multi-skilling

Throng E-Learning Portals Amid Layoffs

The recent IT layoffs have spurred software professionals with threeeight years of experience towards having multiple skills in their kitty . E-learning companies such as Upgrad, Skillsoft and Simplilearn have seen a surge in the demand for their courses in specialised areas like analytics, product management.Looking for a change in job roles, system engineers, developers and those in testing are looking at other avenues. “Professionals with management profiles are shifting to product management. We have doubled the number of batches to keep up with this demand,“ said Mayank Kumar, co-founder, Upgrad.
Digital learning platform Skillsoft saw early bird applicants over five-six months ago. “Those with over five years of experience, i.e. mid-level executives and project managers, are taking up courses in UIUX (user interfaceexperience), machine learning, artificial intelligence and micro service architecture. Cybersecurity is another sought-after course,“ said Vinay Pradhan, CEO, Skillsoft.
At Simplilearn, the number of working professionals from key metros has grown by 43% in the last one year.The company has witnessed substantial growth between 2015 and 2016 in categories such as digital marketing (710%), data science (375%) and salesforce (261%).
“Professionals are not secure about their jobs anymore because of the recent layoffs. However, this environment is providing a big opportunity for lakhs of white-collared professionals to move out of their comfort zones and upskill themselves to remain employable.Automation and digital transformation has created an adapt-or-perish scenario.It's an alarming reminder that re-skilling is the only way out to be relevant,“ said Krishna Kumar, founder and CEO, Simplilearn.
While demand from freshers has always been high, all platforms have registered high demand from mid-career professionals (8-12 years experience). “When one settles in a role, it is easy to get lazy. The nervousness that we are sensing is not a bad thing. Investing in one's self and self-directed learning means professionals are sharpening their swords,“ said Paul Dupuis, MD and CEO, Randstad India.
At Bengaluru-based Avagmah, users looked for HR and management related courses till six months ago when IT-related courses took precedence. “The demand is largely high in universitybased programmes in domains like cloud and distribu ted computing, UIUX, statistical analysis and data mining, network & information security . The Avagmah platform is available with six universities and partners, including IIM-Bangalore, Pondicherry University, All India Management Association, etc. Avagmah has more than 50 programmes on offer and around 20,000 students have been on the platform to date.
At Coursera, eight of the top 10 courses are in the IT domain. Over 50.61% of lear ners are employed full time, indicating the growing trend towards self-learning.
Experts say professionals who are concerned about career stagnation are rushing to upskill and cross-skill. “In today's fast changing business context, it is important for professionals to focus on continuous skill building. The good news is that there are plenty of resources available online, be it in the form of Massively Online Open Courses or specialised open enrollment courses,“ said Rajiv Jayaraman, L&D expert and founder of KNOLSKAPE.

4 Life Changing Tips For Personal Success

Personal success is achievable for anyone who practices the four keys to success and I believe that you will change your life for the better. Everyone wants personal success and to learn the keys to success. Everyone wants to have a happy, healthy life, do meaningful work, and achieve financial independence. Everyone wants to make a difference in the world, to be significant, to have a positive impact on those around him or her. Everyone wants to do something wonderful with his or her life.

Over and over, I have found that the keys to success are a single piece of information, a single idea at the right time, in the right situation, and change your life. I have also learned that the great truths are simple.

One Common Goal

Luckily for most of us, personal success is not a matter of background, intelligence, or native ability. It’s not our family, friends, or contacts who enable us to do extraordinary things. Instead, the keys to success are our ability to get the very best out of ourselves under almost all conditions and circumstances. It is your ability to adapt and change your life.

You have within you, right now, deep reserves of potential and ability that, if properly harnessed and channeled, will enable you to accomplish extraordinary things with your life. Get my FREE report Roots of Resilience and develop your ability to overcome difficulties, adversities, obstacles and setbacks.

Four Keys To Success

The great keys to success to change your life have always been the same.

1. Decide exactly what you want and where you want to go.
2. Set a deadline and make a plan to get there. (Remember, a goal is just a dream with a deadline.)
3. Take action on your plan; do something everyday to move toward your goal.
4. Resolve in advance that you will persist until you succeed, that you will never, ever give up.

This formula is your key to success and has worked for almost everyone who has ever tried it.  It will require the very most you can give and the best qualities you can develop. In developing and following these keys to personal success, you will evolve and grow to become an extraordinary person.

Learn From The Experts To Change Your Life

You will not live long enough to figure it all out for yourself. And what a waste it would be to try, when you can learn from others who have gone before. Ben Franklin once said, “Men can either buy their wisdom or they can borrow it from others. The great tragedy is that most men prefer to buy it, to pay full price in terms of time and treasure.”

Your greatest goal in life and in personal success should be to acquire as many of them as possible and then use them to help you do the things you want to do and become the person you want to become.

Program Yourself For Personal Success

You will change your life by achieving just one important goal, you create a pattern, a template for personal success in your subconscious mind. You will change your life and be automatically directed, and driven toward repeating that success in other things that you attempt.

By overcoming adversity and achieving one great goal in any area, you will program yourself for success in other areas as well. In other words, you learn to succeed by succeeding. The more you achieve, the more you can achieve. Each of the keys to success, especially the first one, builds your confidence and belief that you will be successful next time and achieve ultimate personal success.

Unlimited Potential

The only real limits on what you can do, have, or be are self-imposed. Once you make a clear, unequivocal decision to change your life by casting off all your mental limitations and throw your whole heart into the accomplishment of some great goal, your ultimate personal success is virtually guaranteed, as long as you don’t stop.

4 Ways to Motivate Employees Without Budgeting Bigger Salaries

As a business owner, your employees are your team, and you are their team captain. Your job is to help them be as productive as possible both individually and as a unit, and that means motivating them to strive for greatness through enhanced personal performance and collaboration.

One way to motivate is with monetary incentives like salary increases and bonuses – but that’s not the only, or even necessarily the best way. That’s good news, because you may not always be able to fit financial rewards into your budget.

The right non-monetary incentives motivate employees just as effectively because they allow your team to work for benefits that improve their work life and morale. 

You know your employees and what they do best – but do you know what really inspires them to give their all? To help you find out, here are five non-monetary motivational techniques to consider.

1. Engage your employees in the incentive process.

If you already have ideas about what motivates your employees, great. Write them down and organize them in a way that makes sense to you. If you don’t, ask your employees what kinds of rewards they would like through brainstorm meetings, surveys, a suggestion box or questions in periodic employee reviews. Encourage them to get creative and think outside the box. Then use the employee feedback to create clear goals they can shoot for that will ultimately raise your business’ bottom line. When you make employees partners in this process, you communicate value for their contributions, which will itself motivate them to participate in the incentive program.

2. Recognize good work.

Communication is the key to an effective incentive program because employees need to know what they can do to succeed. This involves a two-step communication process. First, be clear and transparent about how employees can win rewards with a written plan. Objectives and goals may vary by individual position, department or work team. Second, when someone does something well, reward them with public recognition, whether it’s a company-wide email, a shout-out in a meeting, a party, or something more substantial like an enhanced job title (for instance, “Senior” or “Lead” in front of their current role).

3. Provide perks and privileges.

People’s daily work-life quality is important to them, and they will work harder and smarter when their workdays more pleasurable and rewarding. Leverage the power of “workstyle” benefits like the chance to earn work-from-home days, preferred parking spots, extra-long lunches, or the opportunity to spend more time on tasks they like. As an added bonus to your business, when employees enjoy their work more, they are more productive: a win-win for everyone.

4. Offer a chance to learn desired skills.

When people perform the same work tasks day-in and day-out, they get stuck in a rut. They can dig themselves so deep into routine and boredom that they become less motivated and less creative and dissatisfied with their jobs. This leads to lowered productivity and even higher turnover. Turn this downward trajectory around by rewarding exceptional employees with time during the workday to learn new skills that appeal to them. This will enhance their job satisfaction, improve their output and increase the abilities that you can call on to boost your business.

AJAY BHATT INAUGURATES BJP STATE MEDIA WORKSHOP IN HARIDWAR

BJP media workshop was organised in Haridwar on Thursday with the participation of the party workers from across the district. Inaugurating the workshop, State party president Ajay Bhatt asked the party members to understand the nitty-gritty of the media management. 

Highlighting the importance of media in the present time, Bhatt said, “Na top chalao, na talwar chalao, mukabil ho to akhbar chalao.” (Don’t go for ammunition. Don’t  fight with sword. If you are capable then run a newspaper). Cautioning them to be serious while dealing with the media, the state BJP Chief said if they fail to present things in the  right words to the media things might be twisted, resulting in discomfiture for the party.

The party president stressed on the need of the party workers to keep themselves updated in the realm of fast- advancing technology and to stride in tune with the march of time. He said the party activists must put forth the State Government’s programmes before the people with much of management skills.

He also exhorted them to confront the Opposition if the latter launches  misinformation campaign. He assured that he would request the Chief Minister  to inform the party workers about  any major  decision to be taken at the Government level.   

Change in the Workplace Stresses Your Employees Out Most

While employers usually enact change to improve the workplace, new research shows it can actually have the opposite effect.

A study from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that organization changes, such as restructuring, budgetary modifications, new IT or human resources systems, or new leadership, can lead to employees who are overly stressed, have less trust in their employers and have a greater desire to find new jobs.

Change is quite common in most workplaces. Half of the U.S. workers surveyed have been, currently are or expect to be affected by organizational changes in the next year.

Employees impacted by change are more than twice as likely to suffer from chronic stress. Specifically, 55 percent of employees experiencing recent or current change reported prolonged stress, compared to just 22 percent of those who had no recent, current or anticipated change. 

In addition, workers experiencing change were also four times as likely to have physical health ailments – which could be any symptom, including headaches, stiff necks, dizziness or shortness of breath – as those who didn't face any workplace changes. They also ate more and smoked cigarettes more during the workday than they did outside of work.

Mental and physical health issues aren't the only problems organizational change causes. The study found that U.S. workers who reported recent or current change were more likely to have work-life balance conflict, feel cynical and negative toward others during the workday, and have lower job satisfaction and significantly less trust in their employers.

The research also revealed that employees experiencing change are more than three times as likely to look for a new employer in the coming year compared to those with no recent, current or anticipated change. 

"Change is inevitable in organizations, and when it happens, leadership often underestimates the impact those changes have on employees," said David Ballard, head of APA's Center for Organizational Excellence, in a statement. "If they damage their relationship with employees, ratchet up stress levels, and create a climate of negativity and cynicism in the process, managers can wind up undermining the very change efforts they’re trying to promote."

The research found that the negative feelings could be attributed to a level of skepticism employees have in their employer when change is enacted. Nearly 30 percent of all the workers surveyed said they believe management has a hidden agenda for instituting change, with 31 percent saying they believe employers have different motives and agendas for enacting change from what they say publicly. Additionally, 28 percent believe organizations try to cover up the real reasons for changes.

A large number of employees also don't think the changes employers institute will have the desired outcomes. The research found that nearly 30 percent of employees doubted that changes would work as intended and achieve employers' goals.

Ballard said it is important for organizations to have resilient employees who can adapt to change.

"Disillusioned workers who are frustrated with change efforts, however, may begin to question leaders' motives and resist further changes," he said. "To build trust and engagement, employers need to focus on building a psychologically healthy workplace where employees are actively involved in shaping the future and confident in their ability to succeed."

To help employees deal with stress surrounding change, ComPsych, a provider of employee assistance programs, offered several tips:

Manage it. There are things you can't control, but you can control your reaction to them. Practice mindfulness and constructive approaches to change at work. For example, if you find yourself worrying, channel that energy into problem solving and planning.

Ask for clarification and feedback. If change has left you uncertain about your duties, set aside more time to meet and plan with your manager and others.

Surround yourself with positive people. Change in the workplace can bring out negative reactions in people. As much as possible, try not to get bogged down in conversations and interactions with those who may be complaining.

Look for opportunities. Change can often open up new ways to learn more skills in your job or to take on responsibility that can further your career.

WORKSHOP A FULL SUCCESS

100 scientists from all over the world gathered in Hamburg at the “Haus des Sports” for our third annual workshop on “Energy transfers in Atmosphere and Ocean”.

The topic of the workshop was the energy cycle in atmosphere and ocean. This included the interaction of different dynamical regimes such as gravity waves, small-scale turbulence and geostrophic flow, new parameterisations, the formulation of consistent models, but extended also to new numerical methods, and other aspects of geophysical fluid dynamics and the climate system. 

It was our biggest workshop yet with 35 talks and 21 poster. Invited keynotes were given by David Marshall (University of Oxford), Malte Jansen (University of Chicago), Claudia Pasquero (University of Milano-Bicocca), Florian Lemarié (INRIA), Geoffrey Vallis (University of Exeter), Beth Wingate (University of Exeter), Jörn Callies (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Remi Tailleux (University of Reading).

The program was a nice mixture of oceanographic, atmospheric and mathematical talks and the breaks were used for intensive networking between the different disciplines. The poster session was held on Thursday afternoon and was accompanied with a dinner buffet. Several young researchers had the opportunity to present their work to a larger audience with a talk or poster and received insightful questions or remarks.

Many of our project scientists attended the workshop and presented their first results. Contributions included talks by our postdocs Julia Dräger-Dietel, Janna Köhler, Sergiy Vasylkevych and Knut Klingbeil as well as poster by our PhDs Denny Gohlke, Federica Gugole and Thomas Reitz and Postdocs Zhuhua Li and Valerio Lembo.

We like to thank all participants again for their attendance and their contribution to a successful workshop. We are looking forward to meeting you in 2018!

EMPLOYEE TRAINING IS WORTH THE INVESTMENT

Staff training is essential for specific purposes related to your business. You may require new workers to undertake instruction in first aid, food handling or a new booking system. Incorporating training that develops employees toward long-term career goals can also promote greater job satisfaction. A more satisfied employee is likely to stay longer and be more productive while on your team.

THE COST OF TURNOVER

A recent survey indicates that 40 per cent of employees who receive poor job training leave their positions within the first year. They cite the lack of skills training and development as the principal reason for moving on.

Consider the cost of turnover. With one fewer worker, your company’s productivity slips. Sales decline. Your current staff members are required to work more hours. Morale may suffer. To find a replacement, you spend time screening and interviewing applicants. Once you hire someone, you need to train that person.  The cost of staff turnover adds up. Figures vary, but it can cost as much as $2,500, depending on the position, to replace a frontline employee. That is a hefty price to pay for not training staff.

OTHER BENEFITS OF TRAINING

Despite the initial monetary costs, staff training pays back your investment. Here are just some of the reasons to take on development initiatives:

• Training helps your business run better. Trained employees will be better equipped to handle customer inquiries, make a sale or use computer systems.
   
• Training is a recruiting tool. Today's young workers want more than a paycheque. They are geared toward seeking employment that allows them to learn new skills. You are more likely to attract and keep good employees if you can offer development opportunities.
   
• Training promotes job satisfaction. Nurturing employees to develop more rounded skill sets will help them contribute to the company. The more engaged and involved they are in working for your success, the better your rewards.
   
• Training is a retention tool, instilling loyalty and commitment from good workers. Staff looking for the next challenge will be more likely to stay if you offer ways for them to learn and grow while at your company. Don't give them a reason to move on by letting them stagnate once they've mastered initial tasks.
   
• Training adds flexibility and efficiency. You can cross-train employees to be capable in more than one aspect of the business. Teach them to be competent in sales, customer service, administration and operations. This will help keep them interested and will be enormously helpful to you when setting schedules or filling in for absences. Cross-training also fosters team spirit, as employees appreciate the challenges faced by co-workers.
   
• Training is essential for knowledge transfer. It's very important to share knowledge among your staff. If only one person has special skills, you'll have a tough time recouping their knowledge if they suddenly leave the company. Spread knowledge around — it's like diversifying your investments.
   
• Training gives seasonal workers a reason to return. Let seasonal employees know there are more ways than one to contribute. Instead of hiring someone new, offer them a chance to learn new skills and benefit from their experience. 

Learning and upgrading employee skills makes business sense. It starts from day one, and becomes successive as your employees grow. Granted, it may take some time to see a return on your investment, but the long-term gains associated with employee training make a difference. The short-term expense of a training program ensures you keep qualified and productive workers who will help your company succeed. That’s an investment you can take to the bank.

Workshop safety

Health and safety guidance on Workshop Safety.

Safety in the workshops is subject to a number of various risk assessments and safe codes of working practices which have to be observed and adhered to by all workshop users and enforced by the person in charge of these areas.  Due to high risk activities taking place in the workshops access to these areas is restricted to authorised personnel only. No other person may enter the workshops without permission.

Workshop equipment and tools

• No machine may be used or work undertaken unless the technician-in-charge is satisfied that the person is capable of doing so safely. If equipment is fitted with guards these must be used. Equipment must never be used if the safety guards have been removed.

• Any person working in the mechanical and electronic workshop must have read and signed the appropriate risk assessment if the work or equipment they are using has been risk assessed. Risk assessments are kept in a filing cabinet within the mechanical workshop (B.128).

• No person shall mount any abrasive wheel unless he/she has been trained in accordance with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Grinding machines shall only be operated by technical staff and eye protection must be worn.

• Service records of all machine tools, plant and equipment must be kept. They must list the date of any service/repair and name of the person responsible for carrying out that service/repair. Faults which cannot be repaired immediately should be reported to the technician-in-charge and a note should be attached to the machine where it is clearly visible indicating that the equipment is out of order.

• All Portable Electrical Equipment must be regularly inspected and tested for electrical safety. 

• Lifting equipment must be registered with the University’s Engineering Insurers and be subject to annual inspection.

•  All air receivers must be subject to a thorough examination at the statutorily required intervals. 

• Where applicable suitable Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) must be used. The LEV systems must be subjected to a thorough inspection and test at least once every 14 months.

• Ladders/stepladders should be individually identified and formal inspections carried out.

• No welding may be undertaken unless the technician-in-charge is satisfied that the person is capable of doing so safely. During any welding operation the fume extraction system must be used.

• When using woodworking machines the dust extractor and face masks must be used.

• Equipment must be cleaned after use. Any materials, tools or equipment used must be tidied away.

• Precision measuring equipment, drills, etc. must be replaced in their appropriate cabinets after each working day.

• Tools and equipment must not be removed from the workshop without permission from the technician-in-charge.

Workshop practices and personal protective equipment

• Eating and drinking in the mechanical workshop areas are strictly prohibited.

• When working with machine tools or other equipment with rotating spindles, jewellery, loose clothing etc. are prohibited and long hair must be completely covered. 

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is supplied and must be used where necessary. Barrier cream, lab coats/overalls, eye and hearing protection, dust masks and safety shoes must be used as the work/risk assessment dictates.

• Lab coats/overalls and safety boots must be worn by technicians operating the machines. 

• The gangway through the workshop must be kept clear. Any oil spillage, grease etc. must be cleaned up immediately.

• Do not carry loads such that the weight may be dangerous or vision obscured.
• No hazardous substance to health can be used before a COSHH risk assessment is undertaken and a safe system of work issued to the users.