Be Certified to Stand Out at Job Mart

INDEED data is an important element to new discoveries. A collection of data will produce facts and statistics before it is distributed for analysis and reference. An analysed data helps expedite decision-making.

Each data keyed-in into a database would transform into something larger. Even one's views jotted on the social media is a data collected that would determine the demographic structure of an area, which eventually identify patterns and established relationships among the user's behaviours. In short, this is called 'data mining' that will eventually be used and change the society patterns through the magnitude of social innovation.

Man's fascination with data is nothing new, and we must thank Edgar Frank 'Ted' Codd, an English computer scientist, for opening our eyes. In the 70's, while working for IBM, he invented the relational model for database management, which became a very influential general theory of data management, and remains as his most mentioned achievement.

The introduction of the Robotic Process Automation Process (RPA), a technology that allows employees to configure computer software (robot) to interpret existing applications for processing a transaction, manipulation data, triggering responses and communicating with other digital systems, helps boost capabilities, save money and time. And soon, robots will take over the work force. While we welcome modernisation and positive development, we cannot help but to think the fate of the existing manpower. How are our youths going to earn a living?

This is where certification on one's skills come in. To stay competitive and stand out in the market, one needs to be certified. The ISO/IEC 17024, which is issued to a person to recognise his or her expertise may be the answer. Through the certification's framework, one will be able to decide what works best for them.

The ability to upskill, cross-skill and reskill their workforce becomes a key factor for this technology, allowing it to be widely adopted and appreciated by the industry. Their expertise would be profiled, allowing companies or organisations to identify their preferred candidates easier. So, to stand out in the market, ask yourself this question: "Are you certified?"

I believe that such data is crucial to justify the demographic of the human resources mobility globally. The behaviour of the data users on the information utilisation contributions is an important pattern to not just policy makers, but also regulators, businesses and the public to justify the direction of the decision, and strategising methods to materialise their views. Indeed, Malaysia supports the Asean free movement of skilled manpower, and this is stated in the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS).

Today workforce mobility and the possibility to bring international talent to all corners of the world make this and other ISO/IEC17024 standards for job competencies and training even more relevant. We have no choice but to be a knowledge-driven society that appreciates data. Without it, we would be powerless to decide what is best for us and may lag behind others.