Upskilling: Why it's an Essential Part of a Successful HR Hiring Strategy
What is upskilling?
Upskilling is when businesses offer employees the opportunity to learn and grow within the organization. It allows the employee to gain new and relevant skills that are needed today and in the near future.
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COVID-19 has increased the upskilling challenge. Traditional ways of predicting skill needs aren’t working. Employees need more skills for every job, and many of those skills are new.
Upskilling is key for the future of work, but many employees aren’t learning the right new skills — for their personal development or the benefit of the organization.
Why is upskilling important?
The many benefits include:
Ease of filling higher-level hard to fill positions with good employees
Increased employee morale and motivation
More productive workforce = larger capacity for company growth
Increased employee loyalty and decreased turnover
Training ease from people who have done the job
Upskilling your workforce helps create a working environment where employees feel confident in their skills and invested in as individuals. In return for providing training and learning opportunities, companies gain employees who are passionate about their work, more knowledgeable, and more productive. It’s a win-win!
What is the first step?
We suggest you start by surveying skill gaps in your current employees and deciding what you need; you might start by identifying the positions that are most likely to need to incorporate new technology in the near future. After you have identified the roles in most need of upskilling, formulate a plan for how to provide the necessary training to your employees.
How you approach upskilling employees depends on your specific needs, but often a combination of techniques will be effective. Some examples are:
Customized learning and development programs
Peer mentoring/coaching program
Job rotation
Hands-on training with a skilled colleague
Online training in the form of classes and courses, which are ideal for remote workers