U.P.S.K.I.L.L.: Understanding People, Skills and Knowledge for Innovation and Lifelong Learning

Today, I attended a webinar related to portfolio writing. I was intrigued and curious on what does this event offers, so I joined the webinar. At first, I was wondering what is River Valley Irregular and visited their website. There, I saw profiles of what is seemed to be people who might be seeking job opportunities. After that, I scanned the whole site and review its features in order to familiarize myself with its ecosystem.

During the session, I can't help but noticed, this week's celebration for National Digital Workforce has its significance for the development of structures and programs to help various fields – whether in education, public service/ government, private industries and businesses, and other sectors – integrating knowledge, skills, and experiences which shared by various key players in different industries and fields in today's globalized scene. While listening and filling out our own versions of portfolio, this activity made me reflect on who I am beyond the formal and basic information to be shared on a regular job interview. It gave us the depth and personality outside our work persona – a chance for employers and others to see and know us further. Before this webinar, I attended other webinars as well from Philippine ICT Innovation Network entitled "Level Up PH: Leadership and Enterprise Value through Enhanced Learning, Upskilling, and Productivity", a private sector led initiative which encompasses different area of expertise, from 3D animation, data analytics, Ai, Quantum Computing, Leadership role, and Ecosystem building for a more sustainable workforce, not just for private sectors but also to other sectors in need of restructuring their personal, organizational, businesses, and industries to fit in today's demand. Today's event and the previous events I attended instilled a holistic perspective – that today's demands are vast and broad.

We, as an individual, has to expand our horizons and challenge ourselves to grasp and master different areas, using those expertise to improve in both personal and workplace. With this event, it equipped us on what we can do before applying for internship, scholarship, or job – setting which requirements and documents are appropriate when we search for jobs, careers, or other intended purposes. This also gives a path for me and my co-participants to venture into other opportunities we can explore, either in this platform or other available platforms out there. I learned and reflected through event that there's nothing wrong on upskilling ourselves into different fields – that what's important is to applied those mastered areas into the jobs, projects, organizational or business goals we want to do or achieve. To give our best and be our best to every situation laid to us. To interact and know others genuinely. To applied the knowledge, skills, and experiences to achieve a shared goals or plans. To do what makes you enjoy doing and turned it into an innovative solutions. And to learn as much as we can – as long as we live. Finally, to do something that mattered to you, to the community, to the nation and the world.

This simple but thoughtful initiative brought out seeded knowledge about ourselves that sometimes we forgot to remind and reflect on, especially in times of doubts and adversities. I am thankful for this opportunity and for things that I learned in this 3 hour session. This is worthy of my time – for the better version of myself, for the better version of our nation and the world.