According to the World Economic Forum, 54% of existing employees will require considerable reskilling and upskilling by 2022. Organizations across the globe have recognized the need for digital transformation to compete in the current business environment, and employee upskilling and reskilling has become imperative.
Upskilling is the process of acquiring new skills; that is, training your employees on new skills needed to do their jobs correctly and efficiently.
Reskilling is the process of learning new skills so you can do different jobs and tasks. It is training your employees to do different jobs and tasks, and then closing any skill gaps that might be present.
Upskilling and reskilling training programs can improve employee engagement and retention, attract top talent, improve collaboration between departments, speed up adaption for change, and boost brand and reputation throughout your organization.
Apply these best practices to help ensure an effective training program:
As the demand for data skills increases and talent shortages continue, it is imperative to upskill your teams to remain competitive. When deciding on what training to implement, keep in mind that you are developing skills for the present and the future. Consider creating career paths to chart a course for personal career development for your employees, organization wide.
To design and develop effective reskilling and upskilling training programs, we start with a human-centered design process to discover what your employees really need.
This includes developing a deep understanding of the learner through the use of Empathy Maps, Learner Personas, and a Day-in-the-Life / Journey Maps. We analyze your current program and identify activities, content, and tactics that drive successful customer interactions, and what may be less critical to learners’ every-day needs. We then design a comprehensive learning solution and create custom content to ensure your teams have the knowledge, skills and on-the-job resources required to perform their roles confidently and proficiently.
By upskilling current employees instead of searching for high-salary new talent, your organization will come out ahead. Provide your learners with the right materials at the right time, and the knowledge and soft skills they need to communicate with their customers, and you will be well on your way to meeting your organizational goals.