How 11 Companies Are Building A Future-Ready Workforce

Effective tips about employee upskilling

By Brett Farmiloe, Terkel.io

From teaching people how best to train others to taking inventory of your team’s skills, here are 11 answers to the question, "Can you share your most effective tips about how you upskill to build a future-ready workforce?"

1. Train the Trainers

While we do a great deal of training in-house and with various learning platforms where necessary, the most impactful upgrade that I've seen to upskill our team has been running train-the-trainer sessions.

Quality of training will vary with internal trainers—some will be great, some will be good, and some will be sub-par, especially if your company is more than a few hundred people strong.

Creating a set of standards and guidelines for trainers, and then training them on the correct techniques rather than expecting them to figure out how to teach because they are experts in the subject, is the correct way to go to ensure an actually up-to-date and future-ready workforce.

Dragos Badea, CEO, Yarooms

2. Embrace AI's Impact on Productivity

We are embracing the new wave of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and teaching colleagues how to ethically and effectively use the tool. We are sharing best practices in AI Prompt Engineering so that we are on the cutting edge.

With all the talk about AI taking jobs and scaring knowledge workers, it was important for us to inspire our workforce to learn to use the tool for good. It has helped our consultants embrace client requests with greater confidence and has helped us stay more strategic than administrative.

Joey Price, Owner and Podcast Host, Jumpstart: HR

4. Identify Improvements Gaps

Analyzing the talents of your workforce will help you create targeted training programs that are tailored toward individual needs and job roles. In addition, companies should leverage technology platforms, such as online courses or webinars, which can provide employees with convenient access to relevant materials from anywhere in the world.

Another key component of successful upskilling strategies is providing opportunities for employees outside their job roles. Encouraging crossdepartment collaboration can give employees new perspectives on different problem-solving methods and potential solutions, thus fostering innovative thinking within the organization. Additionally, offering educational help can be beneficial for both employers and employees alike.

3. Encourage Employees to Share Their Education Goals

One of the best ways to encourage upskilling and development is to encourage your employees to tell what they want to learn. Most people know how they want to improve themselves, and if they have some say in what skills they get to work on, they will be much more enthusiastic and engaged.

If you ask them, "What do you wish you knew more about, and what creates a bottleneck for you?" you will be better able to pair them with the right training to make their jobs easier and remove barriers. Asking employees what they want to learn about also allows them to offer their thoughts on improvements that might make the organization more effective.

Anthony Martin, Founder and CEO, Choice Mutual

5. Lean into Peer Coaching

Peer coaching is a great way to upskill employees at your organization. If you don't know, it is a private process where two or more coworkers collaborate to reflect on current practices, develop new skills, share ideas, teach one another, research, or resolve issues at work.

This exposes employees to a wider variety of workplace skills through peer coaching. It is appealing because it has a more informal side to it. Participants have a peer they can chat with directly, ask questions when they arise, and learn from observing them at work. They can develop leadership abilities through coaching, including attentive listening, helpful feedback, prompt communication, and the capacity to instruct and mentor.

Travis Lindemoen, Managing Director, nexus IT group

Madhurima Halder, Content Manager, Recruit CRM

6. Stay Up to Date With the Digital Transformation

Invest in digital tools that allow employees to access new skills and knowledge quickly and efficiently. Technology such as online training programs, e-learning platforms, and virtual classrooms can help employees access the resources they need to gain new skills and keep up with changing industry trends.

Additionally, providing employees with access to external resources such as mentorships and networking opportunities will allow them to learn from those in their field and stay up to date on fresh developments.

7. Reward Upskilling

Stress to your organization the importance of upskilling in keeping one's skills current and future-ready, so they continue to be relevant. To motivate your staff, try offering incentives for those who voluntarily upskill. This can be a professional development allowance for upskilling, a move up the pay scale, or even a promotion.

Empower them by providing guides and paths in their upskilling journey. You can monitor industry trends and emerging technologies by subscribing to relevant publications and consulting with experts in your industry to get insights into the skills that will soon be required.

Peter Hoopis, Owner and CEO, Peter Hoopis

Lilian Chen, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Bar None Games

8. Provide a Learning Allowance

To help your people upskill, you can set aside a budget for a learning allowance. They can use it to enroll in online courses or certification classes to keep their skills up-to-date or learn new ones.

The costs of training courses often hinder people from taking them, especially those in rank and file. When you support their desire to learn or continue their education, it can also motivate them to keep upgrading their skill set and staying current with the latest trends in the industry. That will also help them grow in the company and be a more valuable asset to your teams.

9. Make It a Part of Company Culture

To encourage employee learning, it is important to make upskilling part of the company culture by creating programs that are engaging, accessible, and tailored to the individual's needs. Additionally, it is important to create clear pathways for employees to advance their careers and foster a supportive environment where learning is encouraged and celebrated.

It is essential to provide resources to help employees achieve their learning goals. For example, having an internal mobility policy or providing tuition reimbursement or access to online courses can help employees stay up to date with the latest trends in their field.

Aidan Kang, CEO, House of Debt

Tawanda Johnson, HR and DEI Consultant, Sporting Smiles

10. Work With Your Team’s Capabilities

You can upskill your workers through many methods, including peer coaching, online courses, self-study programs, and traditional classroom settings. It's important to keep in mind that people prefer to learn rather than be trained.

Making it easy for your employees to gain the skills they need when, where, and how they choose is your responsibility as an employer. For example, a participant may not be able to take a week off work to enroll in a professional development course. A combination of coaching and microlearning (where participants learn in small doses at their convenience) may be more effective.

Employers must also consider whether the participating employees are eager to pick up new skills, how to persuade them if they aren't convinced, and how they perceive these skills will benefit them in the future. Knowledge retention is equally important to learning. Giving your staff a chance to put their training into practice and evaluate the results is the best approach.

11. Conduct a Skill Inventory

First, create a list of skills your company currently needs and a list of predicted skill needs. Next, send out a company-wide survey asking employees if they have these skills and include a competency scale. Finally, analyze the results to pinpoint where skill gaps are and prioritize professional development by the entire company or departments.

The best thing is to offer any development or upskilling opportunities company-wide, which encourages everyone to develop their skills.

Jarir Mallah, HR Specialist, Ling App

Joe Li, Managing Director, CheckYa

Brett Farmiloe is the Founder and CEO – and currently CHRO - of Terkel.io Brett is an SHRM Influencer and has also been a keynote speaker at several state SHRM conferences around the topic of employee engagement."

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