All you need to know to up skill your team
The term ‘upskilling’ has gained prominence recently, particularly as businesses strive to recruit and retain high-caliber employees. In today’s competitive job market, with a plethora of opportunities for job seekers, companies must adapt to changing workplace cultures and advancing technologies. Upskilling, in this context, is not just a strategy, but a necessity for companies to stay competitive in their respective industries. It’s more than just addressing talent and skill gaps within your team. It’s a process that empowers employees to enhance their expertise. Employers play a crucial role in this process by providing access to a variety of training programs, thereby fulfilling their responsibility to facilitate upskilling.
Why it’s important
According to the World Economic Forum, more than half of all employees worldwide will need to upskill or reskill by 2025 to keep up with the changing nature of work. The results? By 2030, the world’s GDP should have increased by an astounding $6.5 trillion. The world is changing, and that is the clear message. However, a Deloitte 2020 research report suggests that just 34% of 3900 participants were happy with the range of chances for skill development provided by their present company.
How to upskill your team
Once you’ve decided to upskill your team, the next step is to provide instruction that develops the required abilities. This is a key part of the upskilling process, and it’s important that companies focus on this aspect when developing their upskilling plan.
Listed below are some of the main elements of this kind of strategy:
- Define the existing shortage of skills
The most crucial stage is assessing your team’s talents and identifying those lacking. Your skill gap is caused by these new skills you lack, and before you can figure out how to narrow it, you need to know this background. Therefore, you must perform a learning needs analysis before doing anything else.
There’s more to consider when figuring out your skill gaps. Are there any skill gaps, or do some of your internal experts possess information that needs to be added? This is frequently the most significant issue in many businesses, and it shows up when employees quit and take their knowledge with them.
2. Determine the exact knowledge and type of learning to be delivered.
Identify the precise information and style of instruction that will be given. To upskill a certain number of employees, they may need to take 40 distinct courses, for instance, presented via 2–3 various media in just one training session. As a result, ascertain the precise knowledge that an employee needs to acquire, their preferred method of learning, and any workarounds that will enable them to continue maintaining a productive workflow. It’s crucial to consider the various training needs of employees when deciding on a learning platform, as different departments within the same organization may need their staff to develop at different rates.
3. Be flexible
Learning platforms allow people to train at speed, which is one of their main advantages over learning management systems. People can access resources on-demand and through mobile apps, allowing them to come and go as conveniently as they like. They also democratize learning since workers can look for information that they believe will help them accomplish their objectives rather than using a top-down strategy. Developing a curious mindset is the key to unlocking new abilities and knowledge. We must seek information when challenges arise and find ourselves in situations where learning can make a difference. This establishes a beneficial feedback loop and provides a platform for applying and retaining knowledge, solidifying our newly acquired skills. Embracing curiosity is the first step towards continuous self-improvement.
4. Assess effectiveness and provide feedback
Upskilling involves more than developing one’s skills. It also entails reporting and feedback on performance in real-time. Companies must monitor employees’ progress toward program completion and on-the-job performance to determine the training’s efficacy. Managers may stay informed about where staff members might want extra support and what steps to take next to get beyond any training roadblocks with real-time reporting.
5. Give individuals time to prioritize their learning needs.
Provide your team with the resources they need to overcome schedule constraints if they exist. You can do this by giving them a specific time each week, letting them work from a different location with the do-not-disturb feature enabled, or delaying deadlines.
Upskill your teams the right way.
Mastering the art of upskilling employees is a transformative journey that pays off in numerous ways. As organizations adapt to the ever-evolving landscape, investing in upskilling becomes a strategic imperative. This calls for companies to train and develop their existing talent for upcoming challenges and align their training and development programs to their business goals.
