Create a culture that means business™
Email address
As new technologies and shifting market demands shake up industries worldwide, the need for a highly skilled workforce has never been more critical. But seemingly ever-growing skills gaps remain a persistent challenge for many organizations. When the talent available can’t provide the experience and knowledge employers need, companies can struggle to meet customer demands and keep up with the competition.
Thankfully, upskilling provides a way for both individuals and organizations to improve their existing skill sets and adapt to new job requirements. Let’s take a look at what exactly upskilling is and how you and your company can use it to stay relevant and successful.
What is upskilling?
Upskilling is the process of improving and developing skills to enhance an employee’s performance in their current role while preparing them for future responsibilities. It involves providing targeted professional development opportunities that align with the needs of the organization and match the interests of employees. Upskilling can be pursued on an individual basis by team members looking for ways to enhance their value or at the organizational level by companies that recognize the value of investing in talent development.
Upskilling serves two primary purposes: addressing skills gaps within the workforce while fostering ongoing growth among employees. A successful upskilling program requires assessing the existing skill sets of employees, identifying areas that require development, and designing training initiatives that address these specific needs. Upskilling also supports a culture of continuous learning within the company, encouraging employees to develop their skills further and stay up-to-date with new industry trends and technological innovations.
The benefits of upskilling extend to both employees and organizations alike. For employees, upskilling opens up new opportunities for career advancement, increases engagement, and enhances job security. Organizations can address immediate skill gaps while laying the foundation for sustainable success, benefiting from a more skilled and motivated workforce and developing a resilient culture.
Upskilling vs. reskilling
Upskilling and reskilling are related but distinct concepts that address different aspects of workforce development. Upskilling is about refining and learning skills that are within the employee’s current field. It aims to fill specific gaps in knowledge and expertise, enabling individuals to adapt to changes within their current roles or progress to more advanced responsibilities.
Reskilling instead equips employees with a new set of skills to address new challenges. Reskilling is necessary when the nature of an employee’s current job becomes obsolete or when the organization makes a major pivot to meet market demands. It’s about reinvention rather than improvement, involving a more comprehensive skill overhaul that will likely lead employees to entirely different roles.
In practice, upskilling and reskilling are not mutually exclusive — they complement each other as part of a comprehensive talent development strategy. Organizations may initially invest in upskilling to address immediate skill gaps and then integrate reskilling initiatives to prepare employees for future challenges and opportunities. Combining upskilling and reskilling helps both employees and employers navigate the complexities of a changing business landscape.
Upskilling techniques you can start applying today
Regardless of your current role or level of experience, investing in your own upskilling helps make you a valuable member of your current company while positioning you for long-term career growth and success. You can start by leveraging the many online courses, webinars, and tutorials that let you learn wherever and whenever you find convenient. Whether through a dedicated learning management platform or an online service, employees can find resources covering technical topics like programming and data analysis and soft skills like communication and leadership. By dedicating time each week to explore relevant courses and pursue continuous learning, you can expand your skill set and stay current with industry trends and best practices.
You can also pursue coaching opportunities by connecting with experienced professionals in your field. They can provide guidance, feedback, and support to significantly accelerate your professional development. Whether through formal mentorship programs at your organization or by building relationships with industry experts, this route offers valuable insights and perspectives that you can’t gain through self-study alone. Consider participating in peer-to-peer learning communities or joining professional associations related to your field as well to exchange knowledge, share experiences, and learn from others in your industry.
Finally, don’t underestimate the power of hands-on experience and project-based learning. Actively seeking out opportunities to apply newly acquired skills in real-world settings reinforces your learning and helps demonstrate your capabilities to potential employers or clients. Whether it’s volunteering for cross-functional projects within your organization, freelancing on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, or contributing to open-source projects in your area of expertise, hands-on experience allows you to build confidence, refine your skills, and showcase your abilities in practical contexts.
4 steps to better upskilling at your organization
Beyond the benefits to individual employees, upskilling is essential for the long-term success and competitiveness of your organization. Here are four steps to enhance upskilling efforts and support a culture of innovation, adaptability, and excellence across your company.
1. Establish a clear upskilling strategy
Begin by developing a comprehensive upskilling strategy that aligns with your organization’s objectives and core competencies. Identify the skills that are key to success in your industry and assess the current capabilities levels of your workforce to pinpoint areas for improvement. Then solicit feedback from stakeholders at all levels of your company to determine the upskilling methods and resources that suit your workforce best. And don’t forget to clearly communicate the purpose and importance of upskilling, especially to the leaders and HR professionals who will be responsible for overseeing your upskilling program.
2. Foster a culture of continuous learning
Upskilling relies on a work environment that supports ongoing learning and professional development. Emphasize the importance of upskilling as a shared responsibility among employees, managers, and organizational leaders. Managers should empower employees to set learning goals, explore new opportunities for skill development, and take ownership of their own career growth. Encourage this autonomy with access to the necessary resources and tools, and give employees enough time to pursue upskilling opportunities during working hours.
3. Promote cross-functional collaboration
Upskilling benefits from collaboration and knowledge sharing across different departments and teams within your organization. Your company can leverage the diverse expertise and perspectives of your workforce by facilitating opportunities for employees to work together on projects, exchange insights and best practices, and strengthen connections through team-building activities. Your organization should also encourage managers to create cross-functional teams and, when appropriate, give out stretch assignments that allow employees to develop new skills and gain exposure to different areas of the business.
4. Recognize and reward your employees for upskilling
Keep employees excited about your upskilling initiatives by recognizing and rewarding every development milestone, from completing an online course to obtaining a long-sought professional certification. By providing tangible rewards and meaningful recognition, your company motivates employees to invest in their own development and reinforces the importance of upskilling within your organizational culture.
Empowering employees at all levels with the ability to provide this level of appreciation is much easier with dedicated employee recognition software. The best of these tools allow all team members to share and comment on messages of recognition in a centralized, easily accessible location, while boosting the impact of each recognition through gifts of reward points. These points can be redeemed for exciting items and experiences in the platform’s built-in marketplace that employees actually want.
Engage your workforce with upskilling today
Upskilling initiatives depend on a connected, engaged workforce — and that means there are few better foundations to build your upskilling program on than the Achievers Employee Experience Platform. It’s a flexible solution built to meet the needs of your changing workforce, with first-in-class recognition features, built-in reward capabilities, and the tools needed to uncover and act on employee insights. And it integrates with the apps your employees already use every day, making it easy for employees to start providing thanks and feedback.
See how Achievers can help create an exceptional upskilling experience at your organization by booking a demo of the Achievers Employee Experience Platform today.
In this article:
