Importance of Training during Covid-19

Have you ever heard the term, “Brain Elasticity” before? It’s a process that your brain undergoes whenever you learn and grow as you age. Your brain’s ability to retain memory and maintain cognitive skills becomes weaker as you progress in age, but this can be countered by learning new knowledge and picking up new skills, says Dr. John N. Morris, director of social and health policy research at the Harvard University affiliated Institute for Aging Research.

Learning during a lockdown also has very real socio-economic impacts. Firstly, according to the International Labour Office, which is affiliated with the World Bank – noted that during the pandemic, over 90% of training institutions were shut down at some point of the outbreak across the world, with the lowest being 80% recorded in the Asia-Pacific region. The majority of professionals, students and apprentices that continued online learning for various courses managed to either retain their employment, or seek opportunities elsewhere. Those that did not, had at least obtained new skills and methodologies to succeed post-pandemic.

According to Paul Falcone of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), restoking career and professional development is critical as the Covid-19 crisis continues. Now was the time for people to re-establish communications with their peers on how to identify new skills to learn, and remote-learning developmental opportunities. In light of millions of layoffs around the globe, it has become even more pertinent that professionals equip themselves with new methodologies to be more productive and innovative even as they telecommute or work from home.