Technological skills that job seekers need

With a labor market that’s constantly changing, it’s no longer enough to have a university degree - ongoing learning is crucial. That’s the idea that gave rise to BeJob, a platform that enables users to acquire the technological skills that companies require. On the occasion of the first Latin American edition of EL PAÍS con tu futuro, Mariola García, director of BeJob, explains the demands of the market.

Question. What is BeJob?

Answer. It’s an online portal focused on training for employability in the field of information technology and communication, created by the publishing group Santillana. The idea was to find a solution to the number of unemployed young people. We had to facilitate contact between companies and society to fill new job vacancies. Industry needs certain job profiles that are currently very difficult to find.

Q. What are some examples of these new profiles?

A. The profiles we work with are defined by the needs of industry. For example, many companies are looking for experts who know something about augmented reality or virtual reality. More and more videos are being made with this technology and it’s even becoming important in advertising campaigns. There aren’t many educators who can teach their students about robotics or programming things, subjects that, while they may be optional today, will become mandatory in the future. Programmatic buying, digital marketing, SEO: these are the profiles that are both normal and necessary in companies, but for which there are not enough qualified people out there.

Q. What new technological skills are needed in the world of work?

A. Most young people start out with one big advantage: they are digital natives, they are born with technology. In the street and in restaurants, children entertain themselves with technology. You used to have to to know English, but now you also need to have digital skills. The estimated employment demand for digital profiles in Latin America over the next few years is three million jobs.

Q. What would you recommend to a person who doesn’t know what to specialize in?

A. You have to balance out two variables: one is what you like and are passionate about and the other is where there is a market. If I had potential students in front of me, I’d say: what is it that excites you in the digital economy? Would you like to work in the video, digital marketing or programming part? Once you’ve made up your mind, you can then have a look at what the demand is in the market. Within BeJob there is a service called BeJob Employment, an information tool that contains all the job offers that exist, for example in Mexico, that match what the student is studying with us. Every day users get live offers and they can directly send off their resume.

For us it is very important to emphasize that we are offering technology education and that we are doing it in Spanish. Although with technology, you must have a knowledge of technical language, if people are taught in their mother tongue they learn much faster. There is a lot of information on technology, but most is in English. We also have two added values at BeJob, one is the university certification and the other is the professional certification.

SOURCE: elpais.com