Revealed: SHL’s Skill of The Year
Throughout the last year, we worked with thousands of customers, assessing millions of candidates. This gave us a unique insight into the skills that are needed to drive success. From our research, one skill emerged as ‘skill of the year’: the ability to Learn Quickly.
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The Power to Stay Ahead
In today’s fast-changing world, the ability to Learn Quickly is a must-have. Organizations are prioritizing human and behavioral skills over technical ones, as technology and job demands evolve at lightning speed. Being able to Learn Quickly is a foundation to broader learning potential, and quick learners bring agility, adaptability, and the power to stay ahead—turning challenges and new technologies into opportunities to excel.
Most organizations will undergo some sort of business transformation this year and the skills needed to thrive will be constantly evolving. Those individuals with the ability to Learn Quickly can adapt quicker and acquire new skills to cope with inevitable geopolitical, industrial, and technological changes.
Master the Art of Learning Quickly
The ability to Learn Quickly can be improved with the right training and support. Organizations and their leaders should see the strategic advantage of developing this skill in their teams to set them up for future success. Here are 6 tips to upskill your learning ability:
- Note taking: Jot down key points while learning to create a handy reference for better retention.
- Ask questions: Don’t hesitate to seek clarity—new perspectives can unlock deeper understanding.
- Summarize it: Turn what you’ve learned into bullet points to reinforce and organize knowledge.
- Master skimming: Hone the skill of quickly spotting essential info to boost efficiency.
- Prioritize focus time: Set aside dedicated sessions for tackling complex tasks, revisiting and marking key details as needed.
- Embrace feedback: Use insights from others to refine your approach, adapt, and grow.
Measure, Develop and Champion
Last year saw a big shift to skills-based organizations, and this is set to continue. With a skills-based approach, you can assess individuals and the unique skills that they can bring to their role. Not only that but with this aggregated data, you can make accurate data-driven decisions to drive learning and developmental decisions, fill skills-gaps and double-down on strengths.
Fostering a culture of learning, with dynamic learning programs, mentorship, and spaces where employees feel comfortable sharing knowledge will all help develop a workforce that can stay competitive. It will help with succession planning, being able to achieve more with high-potential talent, and harness the strengths of Gen Z talent, who expect and are motivated by learning pathways that can lead to career progression.
As we move ahead this year, the significance of learning quickly—and the broader learning potential it unlocks—will only grow. By championing this skill, individuals and organizations alike position themselves for lasting success in an ever-changing world.
What do you think will be the most critical workplace skill at the end of 2025? Vote on LinkedIn now!
Learn more about SHL’s Skills Development solution that allows you to measure 96 workplace skills with just one 15-minute assessment, and drive upskilling, reskilling and onboarding initiatives.
