What is reskilling?
Reskilling focuses on relearning or retraining. This term encompasses the objective of training employees so that they can perform a different job. It is about retraining to take on a new role within the company according to the new needs that arise within the company.
This training process is crucial in today’s labour market, as it is volatile, complex and the development of new technological tools is becoming faster and faster. For this reason, organisations need to be constantly adapting to the new digital environment if they do not want to be left behind. By applying this strategy, companies can anticipate and be prepared for unforeseen situations and differentiate themselves from the competition thanks to their versatile and flexible talent.
Characteristics and reskilling strategies
As technology advances, workers are losing skills and knowledge. According to the World Economic Forum in 2020, more than 40 % of workers worldwide will need reskilling by 2025. To solve this problem, the term “global reskilling revolution” has been established.
Reskilling is characterised by the fact that it is a type of employee training that seeks to introduce the employee to new areas that were previously unknown or little known. Its main purpose is to train them with new skills, and to do so, it evaluates their progress and results.
Prior to establishing a re-training strategy, companies recruit talent with the ability to learn, and define a growth plan with the objectives they wish to achieve. They then provide the optimal resources, and design a learning programme that is appropriate to the employee’s skills and availability.
Among the most commonly used re-training strategies are courses, certificates and qualifications to improve skills. Companies also often create refresher, planning and orientation programmes in order to get employees more involved.
What is upskilling?
Upskilling is a process aimed at acquiring new knowledge and skills through professional training. In this way, employees can improve their performance and productivity, advance and improve in their current position, even facilitating internal promotion within the organisation.
Primarily, this strategy aims to address companies’ need for new skills, without acquiring new talent. However, it is desirable to have flexible professionals.
Characteristics and upskilling strategies
Upskilling is a training strategy for a company’s staff. Organisations set objectives, establish a plan and use certain tools to improve skills in a specific area known to employees.
Generally, companies tend to apply two upskilling strategies. First, there are training and credentialing programmes, which result in a personal certificate and enhance the skills required by the company to advance in a particular position. On the other hand, there are personal development plans that address specific skills of each employee in order to improve performance and productivity.
What are the differences between reskilling and upskilling?
Both training plans succeed in creating a network of improvement and training within the organisation. However, they have different objectives. Reskilling aims to train the employee to retrain and adapt to a new performance within the company. It also makes employees more versatile. However, upskilling aims to teach the individual to improve his or her routine tasks and to boost internal talent by even helping the specialisation of profiles.
Benefits of implementing reskilling and upskilling
Although they are different strategies, they both aim to combat the digital divide created by digital transformation. By relying on trained and flexible talent, organisations are able to adapt quickly to change and increase their competitiveness in the market.
In addition to improving the competitiveness of employees, and therefore of the company, by implementing this type of training and staff development techniques, companies reduce recruitment costs, as they do not need to cover needs by recruiting new talent. Investing in the progress of workers increases their loyalty and increases the retention of talent, promoting loyalty and their remaining in the organisation for longer, since training opens up new prospects for the future and promotion.
Focusing on internal team development promotes an attractive company culture and improves the working environment, making employees more resilient and prepared for complex challenges that may arise in the future. At the same time, it makes companies attractive organisations for developing a successful career plan and more accessible and egalitarian spaces.
