SkillLab

At SkillLab, the wellbeing of our employees is always a priority. As a commitment to this, we organized a Self-Care Day in the office last week to remind us to take a break and take extra care of ourselves on the International Self-Care Day. Since you missed a series of wellness activities at our office, we share some general self-care tips for everyone to incorporate into their work and daily life. 🫁 The muscle pain that many office workers experience is often caused by artificial breathing that does not fully engage the diaphragm and allow for deep, relaxed breathing. We found an interesting video by Insider Tech that explains how to breathe better: The correct way to breathe in 🎧 Constantly dealing with headaches and neck stiffness? Try taking a break from your headphones! Tight or heavy headphones can put pressure on your ears and strain your head and neck. Additionally, if you use noise-canceling features while walking, the sound waves can create sensations that mimic the feeling of stillness🚶♂️This cause confusion between what you hear and what your body feels which might lead to dizziness and discomfort. 💆♀️ Skin care is more than skin deep. It can also boost your mental well-being by giving you a sense of control and stress relief. It can even be a mindful ritual when done regularly. 🎨 Creative arts therapy can increase serotonin levels and blood flow to the part of the brain associated with pleasure. Big thanks to our Samara Jetta and Lina Rodriguez Solera for taking care of us, and reminding us of the importance of self care! 

There are a lot of indicators that the skills-first approach can make a real difference for both the workforce and the employers that are struggling to fill the vacancies. OECD Education and Skills report elaborates more on how the skills-first approach is becoming more prominent, and why it should be the way forward in the coming years to ensure that especially young people have a path forward in the labor market. It is great to see the steps towards a skills-first approach both in the policy world and the world of work. We especially welcome the calls for more collaboration between training providers, employers, and governments, as we recognize this need in our work, and make it our mission to make this alignment and exchange easier and possible. https://lnkd.in/eMXTPHyC

You have heard us helping people to turn their skills into careers from the MENA region to Latin America. But today's story comes from our own home, the Netherlands. Last year, SkillLab and several organizations in Amstelveen collaborated on a 4-month pilot project to help Ukrainian refugees find a job that matches their previous level of experience. The article below, originally written in Dutch by Gert Hardeman for De Programmaraad Regionale Arbeidsmarkt, summarizes the project and its success story. We have translated it to share it with our English-speaking audience. https://lnkd.in/eC4wpY4e

On June 26th - 27th, SkillLab's Sylvana Hiltrop and Clara Citra Mutiarasari were in Seville, Spain, to attend the 4th Transnational Partner Meeting of the GAEA EU Project. As a technical partner, SkillLab is leading the development of a skills-based application specifically targeted at women interested in a career in agriculture and entrepreneurship. The GAEA app will work together with the GAEA platform, which will host training modules and networking opportunities for women to connect with potential mentors as well as job and training opportunities. This support package will officially launch at the end of 2024 and is part of the GAEA Bootcamp to be held in Prague in early 2025. Read more about the GAEA project and check out the biannual project newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eKFE_6Uk

A paradigm shift is underway in the world of work. While traditional approaches to career development focus on stories, personality preferences, and experiences, we want to highlight how a skill-focused approach to career development can benefit both counselors and their clients. Skill-based hiring first gained popularity among employers. Around 2010, this approach sparked debate as major global employers announced that they were striving to eliminate unnecessary degree requirements from their job postings and hiring processes. Despite their plans, only 37% of the companies actually completed the transition successfully. Meanwhile on the policy side evidence suggests that skill-based hiring will play a significant role in the future world of work. Events such as the European Year of Skills in 2023 shift the general focus on fostering long-term sustainable growth through a skilled workforce equipped with the most in-demand skills. Such innovative initiatives suggest that career guidance and employment services must also follow this skill-based trend in order to policy and labor market trends. We wanted to present how a skill-based approach can be put into practice by incorporating it into a technology tool developed by SkillLab, and used by SkillLab’s partners worldwide. We talked to counselors that are using our tool in their work to see what is the impact of the skill-based approach on both their work and the career efforts of their clients. Results of this research that was conducted by Arijana Radic, Dr. Brian Hutchison aka Global Career Guy ~ PhD, LPC, CCCE, and Nour Alhiyari ~ PhD, PLPC were first presented at the Asia Pacific Career Development Association Conference 2024 in Trivandrum, India, and the full article was first published in the APCDA Conference Proceedings. Read more about it on our website: https://lnkd.in/eJyH_-5U

Every summer, SkillLab holds one of its semi-annual company days. This time we organized it in our own office. SkillLabers were divided into groups of 5-6 people to take part in the SkillLab Olympics, a series of creative activities that encourage us to reflect on our working habits and try out different ways of working. As a final exercise, we look at our fellow SkillLabers to find examples of how our values - purposefulness, collaboration, and a learning mindset - are embodied in our everyday practices at work. Following a SkillLab tradition of exploring the culture of different countries, this company day was accompanied by a delicious Brazilian lunch. Finally, we ended the day with a karaoke party, which brought us closer together as a team. Can you see yourself being part of these fun learning activities? Check out our new vacancies here: https://lnkd.in/eGPPqW5z

For many young mothers in Mexico, taking care of their family and raising their children is their primary occupation, which can easily result in them losing sight of their own passions, dreams, and skills that make up their unique personalities. This makes it very difficult to feel confident about themselves and their abilities about their role as a caregiver. As the technology partner of Youth@Risk, a project by the The Adecco Group Innovation Foundation to support youth at risk of falling off the labor market, SkillLab was used as a tool to encourage a shift in mindset among young mothers in Mexico. The goal of the project is to help them regain confidence, recognize their potential, and open their eyes to possible education and work opportunities. Listen to Tania’s story to see the impact of the skill-based approach. Enabling people to see their own potential and skills from all they have learned so far is not only empowering for that one person but for entire communities and generations that see this person as a role model. Read more about the project and Tania’s experience on our website: https://lnkd.in/dDzbUbE2 You can read more about this and other solutions that help underserved communities find their pathways to work in the Adecco Innovation Foundation Annual Report: https://lnkd.in/dJD9BKTm

The Europe EdTech 200 list, developed by HolonIQ, identifies fast-growing and innovative startups across Europe. SkillLab is proud to be featured. Most importantly, the segment 'EdTech for workforce and skills' is the fastest-growing segment on the map. The trend stresses the relevance of SkillLab's technology, which enables including job seekers in education and labour markets through AI-driven skill profiling. HolonIQ’s Intelligence Unit, in cooperation with local market experts, evaluated and scored the eligibility of companies. The overview can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eDRq8Dh3

Even though there are a lot of people that are most afraid of the dentist's appointments, job interviews are a close second sometimes. However, this does not have to be the case. We have compiled a list of tips that will help you nail your next interview with SkillLab! As with everything, practice makes perfect, and makes you more confident to showcase your skills and fit for the role. As a company that advocates for and works actively to contribute to a skill-based labor market, we know the importance of knowing and showcasing your skills well. In order to do so, be sure you understand the company and the role you are applying for, and do not underestimate your skills from different areas of your life, from work and education experience to life experiences such as sports, volunteering, or taking care of family members. And last but not least - do not forget that interviewing is a two way process. Make sure to ask whatever you want to know, and choose the best fit for your skill set, your career plans, and your wellbeing. Read more tips on our website: https://lnkd.in/gU-sb3fy

One of the more interesting stories you can hear about a company is how it all started. Starting in 2014, SkillLab co-founders closely observed the struggles of people that were fleeing from the war and other life-endangering situations to the EU, where they were left facing a new obstacle - fitting in the European labor market. One of the main challenges that still persists has been translating their skill sets to the new labor market environment. Imagine having a wealth of skills and experience, eager to contribute, but struggling to navigate a job market obsessed with titles and qualifications. As an immigrant herself, SkillLab co-founder and business development partner Azza ELHayek, experienced the frustrations of a job market that overlooked her skills. This personal struggle fueled her passion to create a solution that empowers others. Witnessing and experiencing this, we at SkillLab committed to not only support the people that struggle with different obstacles in the labor market, but to contribute to a wider paradigm shift to skills-first labor market that empowers everyone to find their path, and make the whole market more equitable. Read more about Azza’s personal journey, and the journey of SkillLab efforts to make sure no one is left behind in the labor market anymore due to the invisibility of their skills: https://lnkd.in/dd3zs8iJ