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In a world defined by constant evolution and rapid cultural and technological transformation, Singaporean professionals’ ability to swiftly adjust, learn, and innovate has never been more crucial. While adaptability has emerged as the cornerstone of success for professionals in the city-state, Singapore’s dynamic business landscape demands a new approach to adaptability—one that goes beyond traditional skill sets.

This article will delve into the profound significance of adaptability in the context of Singapore's highly competitive business environment—and how professionals can be more adaptable by adopting what are known as Critical Core Skills. By uncovering the multifaceted aspects of adaptability and its symbiotic relationship with Critical Core Skills, we aim to provide a brief guide that will hopefully empower Singaporean professionals to thrive amidst uncertainty.

What are Critical Core Skills?
Critical Core Skills (CCS) is a framework developed by SkillsFuture Singapore that places 16 work-critical soft skills in three clusters, namely Critical Thinking, Interacting with Others, and Staying Relevant. The soft skills can be thought of as the skills that you need to build other skills, which makes them important for allowing you to better adapt to an increasingly fast-paced and volatile work environment.

These skills are evergreen and will be valuable throughout your professional career. Possessing them not only enhances progression within your current roles, but also equips you to transit into new roles when the opportunity arises. In contrast, other professionals who only have strong hard skills may struggle to advance and may eventually see their skills become obsolete.

Comprehensive CCS training covers the following areas:

Critical Thinking

• Transdisciplinary Thinking
• Creative Thinking
• Decision Making
• Problem Solving
• Sense Making

Interacting with Others

• Building Inclusivity
• Collaboration
• Influence
• Customer Orientation
• Communication

Staying Relevant

• Adaptability
• Developing People
• Global Perspective
• Digital Fluency
• Self-Management
• Learning Agility

How Critical Core Skills enhances your professional resilience
As a regional tech hub and a nexus of international trade, Singapore is always among the first places to feel market and technology disruptions. Having relevant Critical Core Skills will be effective in withstanding these disruptions and uncover meaningful opportunities.

Here are a few ways CCS training can help you readapt to new developments that affect your career:

1. Facilitates career advancement. Developing your Critical Core Skills can help you to understand different perspectives and experiences within your industry. An ability to view one’s industry from other people’s perspectives—as well as within a wider context—is very helpful. It can empower you to better appreciate your own career and find the ideal paths for advancement within it.

2. Strengthens human connections. Unlike hard skills, which are often automatable, CCS taps into the essence of what makes us human, which can never truly be replaced. By honing these skills, you cultivate resilience and foster enriching interactions with stakeholders, resulting in fruitful outcomes.

3. Discover unexpected connections. Adapting to change often involves getting out of your comfort zone and tapping into knowledge areas that seem to have no apparent connection to your industry. Having CCS will help you see the value of practices employed by other industries, allowing you to make the connections necessary for innovating within your field.

4. Keep abreast of new trends and technologies. While Singapore is ahead of the pack in the development of a smart nation, technology and work culture often move at a pace many organisations struggle to keep up with. A deeper mastery of Critical Core Skills will give you the mental clarity to be a first mover, enabling you and your team to capitalise on opportunities and avoid incoming threats to your profession.

5. Makes you a better version of yourself. Adapting isn’t always about reinventing the wheel. Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of becoming better at what you already do. Among many skills, CCS training teaches you how to be more creative, how to communicate effectively, and how to manage your internal resources. Taking a CCS course can, therefore, directly help with your current projects and help you overcome any existing roadblocks that are keeping you from moving forward in your career.

Critical Core Skills provide a firm foundation for your career
If you’re considering a change, CCS courses may be the key in helping you redirect your professional path. Regardless of your industry or obstacles you’re facing, improving your abilities to think critically, interact with others, and stay on top of current developments will open new ways for you to adapt and excel.

Moreover, unlike hard skills, critical core skills will always be transferrable and provide meaningful value, regardless of the career path you ultimately choose.

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Reach out to our Skills Consultants to find out more about how you can transform your life through learning today!