How Employee Upskilling Gives Employers An Upper Hand Steps to improve the future of employee learning

By Jason Richmond, Ideal Outcomes, Inc.

Intoday’s rapidly-changing business environment no one can afford to stand still. Acquiring new skills is an ongoing necessity that must be embraced by employers and employees alike, otherwise your organization will undoubtedly fall behind the competition.

The most direct route is to implement upskilling programs at all levels of the company — that is supplementing an existing skill set with new competencies as opposed to reskilling, the learning of new abilities to do a different job.

In this article, we’ll explore the expected demands on the future workforce, steps for successful upskilling, and what the current workforce has to say about it.

Upskilling: An Example

Let us begin with a simple example of upskilling and its benefits. Imagine you are a software engineer. You have a bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology and several years’ of expertise creating software tailored to users’ demands.

You enjoy your work because you can use your imagination and problem-solving abilities to develop answers to complex problems. Still, your ultimate professional objective is the position of chief technology officer, which requires earning an MBA and becoming proficient in managing computer and information systems and teams.

Your company provides a continuing education benefit that covers the cost of courses relevant to your work, so you can begin your MBA after researching schools and receiving your manager’s clearance.

Your employer benefits, as you are more likely to remain employed by them with newly-acquired skills.

You benefit by receiving an MBA for free (or at reduced cost) and advance along the route to your ideal position.

Meeting the Demands of the Future

Industries advance and quickly change thanks to ever-developing technology and business needs.

Result: Tere may be a skills gap between the current workforce’s capabilities and what is required of them to do their jobs well in the future.

According to research by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 74 percent of recruiting managers recognize a skills gap in the labor market, a significant barrier to hiring.

While employers invest heavily in employee upskilling, it is worth noting that employees themselves can enhance their skills independently through private training, certification programs, and ongoing education, and offer greater value to their employers — and prospective employers.

Meeting Future Skill Requirements

The emphasis of the global labor market is shifting away from degrees and job titles and moving towards a growing focus on the real world skills that candidates must possess to be considered for a position.

According to research by McKinsey, in collaboration with the Rework America Alliance (an organization that helps workers transition into positions that provide higher pay, greater economic mobility, and better resilience to automation), they are doing so in increasingly significant numbers.

Boeing and IBM, for instance, have committed to implementing open, inclusive, and skills-based hiring policies. Many companies have also collaborated with other groups to help employees go from lower-wage occupations to higher-wage positions depending on their skill sets, even removing degree requirements from some job advertisements.

Steps for Successful Upskilling

Here are three steps you can take to educate and motivate employees to upskill in their areas of interest. Tell them the following:

1: Determine your goals

Determine your end goal before you start upskilling. Start by asking yourself what you want to achieve in your career. Perhaps you desire to go from entry-level all the way to a senior management position.

Whatever your goal, you must keep it at the core of your strategy to succeed.

Tip for upskilling your team: Ask each member about their current and long-term professional objectives. Planning a long-term strategy can be easier when you concentrate on the people most likely to be involved.

2: Identify your knowledge gaps

Pinpoint your knowledge gaps by researching the skills required for the job you want and honestly identifying the skills you do not have and those you can improve upon.

Find a mentor in your network and ask them about the qualities they look for in candidates, specifically in your chosen career.

Tip for upskilling your team: Every employee will need to fill a particular set of skills gaps in upskilling. When deciding the next step, perform a skills gap analysis to determine what each member can do better and then include that with their professional goals.

3: Create a plan

Start planning to use education and training to close your gaps as soon as you recognize them.

● Keep your budget in mind when comparing learning possibilities. You might not need to pay for an expensive boot camp if you can get the same information from free online videos.

● If your company does not have a lot of internal resources, consider setting aside a personal career development budget to invest in your own education.

● Regardless of your company’s internal resources there’s a good chance management will need to engage external expertise. Encourage corporate leaders to find a dedicated team of training professionals that will recognize and work with your unique corporate culture.

What Employees Think about Upskilling

Employers must understand this business fact: Today’s workers expect that they will provide upskills training.

According to a Pew Research Center survey,

● 87 percent of Americans understand that they must regularly train and learn new skills to succeed in their jobs and avoid falling behind in a workforce that is changing quickly

● 49 percent of respondents say their employers had a duty to ensure they have the skills necessary to succeed in today’s economy.

Employees assert that they would be willing to spend up to two days per month receiving training to advance their digital skills if their employer made it available.

When it’s Time to Reskill

Sometimes a more radical strategy than upskilling is required. Many blue-collar workers, in particular, may need to retool their skill set entirely.

According to McKinsey’s research, as advances in automation continue to rise exponentially, the demand for 17 million U.S. workers occupations will decline over the next few years, and 80% of these workers may need to reskill rather than upskill.

Employers must make more significant investments in their workforce’s reskilling and upskilling in light of these rapid changes. To stay competitive, you must provide your staff with the resources they need for success and demonstrate your commitment to their professional and personal development.

Forward-thinking companies recognize skills-based practices as a potent remedy for challenges facing the future of business. Yet, finding the best applicants for critical unfilled roles and retaining talent continues to prove difficult. Looking within saves considerable costs incurred in recruiting elsewhere. Make sure, therefore, that workers are aware of—and trained for--internal growth opportunities, which will boost employee satisfaction and retention.

That’s advantageous for everyone.

Jason Richmond is CEO and Chief Culture Officer at Ideal Outcomes, Inc

Would you like to comment?