Author: Nathaniel Barr, Sheridan College

For the times they are a-changin’.

That classic phrase rings as true today as when Bob Dylan first sang it nearly six decades ago — particularly in the business world, where the Fourth Industrial Revolution, rapid advances in technology, environmental and social challenges, economic turbulence and post-pandemic recovery present unprecedented challenges that have us all on uneven footing.

In the face of such a dynamic industrial landscape, reskilling may never be more imperative. Notonly must employees adapt to and be adept in the latest technologies, they also need to be agile and reactive, capable of responding to never-before-seen scenarios in effective ways. As argued in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, the most valuable skills going forward will be those attuned to these realities: creativity, complex problem solving, innovation, storytelling and other skills that transcend any one industry are indispensable.

Or, to borrow again from Dylan: Those who get hurt will be those who have stalled… your old road is rapidly agin’.

Applied Creativity and Innovation Certificate

Recognizing these global trends, most postsecondary institutions have begun placing greater emphasis on 21st-century skills demanded by the future of work. Since 2015, for example, Sheridan has provided all its degree students with the chance to earn a Board Undergraduate Certificate in Creativity and Creative Problem Solving — the first credential of its kind in Canada — that teaches techniques in creativity, innovation, problem solving, persuasion and more.

Beginning this fall, your business will have the opportunity to arm your existing employees with those very same skills. Sheridan’s new Applied Creativity and Innovation graduate certificate is tailored not only for recent grads but for working professionals and entrepreneurs as well, providing maximum flexibility through online classes that can be completed full-time, part-time or over the course of several years.

In addition to learning creativity and problem-solving theory, students will work alongside creativity and innovation experts during an extensive practicum that will see them resolve a real-world problem for their employer or one of Sheridan’s industry, non-profit or government agency partners. For your business, it could be the chance to generate fresh and useful ideas to leverage artificial intelligence technology, advance your sustainability efforts, update your marketing strategies, address supply chain challenges and more.

Back to you, Mr. Dylan:

If your time to you is worth savin’

And you better start swimmin’

Or you’ll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin’

About the Author

Mississauga Board of Trade