The days of one-off training sessions and box-ticking compliance are no longer enough. The most competitive organisations are building learning ecosystems that continuously upskill and reskill their people, because the roles you’re hiring for now might not exist in two years.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) predicts that nine in 10 UK employees will need to reskill by 2030. At the same time, the half-life of skills is rapidly shrinking, particularly in industries driven by digital change. This is why it’s critical to build the right capabilities at the right time, and the right LMS plays a crucial role in making that happen.
In this article, we’ll break down why upskilling and reskilling should be core functions of your LMS, the features that make it possible and how to make the right choice based on your goals.
Selecting the right LMS to support upskilling and reskilling
Your choice of learning management system should be driven by your organisation’s unique needs and requirements (and not the other way around). By asking vendors the right questions and consulting more deeply with stakeholders to understand the organisation’s requirements, you can begin to uncover the features you really need to support your upskilling and reskilling efforts.
For example, let’s say your organisation is preparing a cohort of customer service agents to transition into digital support roles. You know that delivering a one-off course on using chat software isn’t going to cut it. Instead, you want to create a structured, multi-step learning pathway that includes:
- Competency frameworks to record the skills your workforce needs
- Baseline assessments to identify current skill levels
- Self-paced modules covering new tools and digital communication techniques
- Opportunities for hands-on practice and peer learning
- Manager check-ins and feedback loops
- Mechanisms to track progress and performance in real-time
To do this effectively, your LMS needs to support dynamic learning plans, skills mapping, feedback loops and integration with broader talent and performance processes. It should also offer clear reporting to help L&D identify where support is needed most and where progress is being made.
Ways to support upskilling and reskilling with technology
While your learning technology won’t do everything for you – after all, you’ll still need a solid learning strategy in place – it’s your enabler for delivering this strategy successfully. According to McKinsey, only 40% of companies say their learning strategy is actually connected to business goals.
When you know from the outset what business priorities you want your learning strategy to support, you’re in a far better position to decide what features you need. Here are a few you might consider.
1. Personalised learning pathways at scale
Everyone learns differently. Some are building confidence in a new area, while others are ready to take the next step in their career. By tailoring content to individual goals and progress, organisations can create experiences that feel relevant and engaging, rather than one-size-fits-all.
According to the 2025 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, organisations no longer need to choose between personalisation and scale. AI-enabled tools make this easier than ever, suggesting timely resources, surfacing skills gaps and supporting real-time development – so your upskilling and reskilling programmes can grow with your business.
2. Feedback and follow-up mechanisms
The goal is never simply to complete a course, but to embed new skills and apply them with confidence. However, this doesn’t happen overnight. According to Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve, learners forget up to 70% of new information within 24 hours if it isn’t reinforced.
This is why it’s important to build in opportunities for feedback and follow-up post-training. Look for features that support:
- Post-course reflection activities, so learners can process what they’ve learned in their own context
- Quizzes and knowledge checks to revisit key concepts over time
- Peer discussion spaces to encourage deeper conversations
- Manager check-ins and feedback loops
3. Skills and competency tracking
Learners need to understand where they are now, what’s expected of them in future roles and how to bridge that gap. You also need to identify any skills gaps early so you can plan for the future. Modern LMS platforms make it easy to track progress, identify risk areas and spot opportunities for targeted development. Combine this with competency frameworks and you can align learning directly to your organisation’s strategic goals.
Some learning management systems will let you:
- Map learning content to specific skills or role profiles
- Track progress against individual and team-level competencies
- Use assessments or observation checklists to measure applied learning
- Surface data that supports succession planning and internal mobility
With the right tracking in place, you can empower learners to own their development while giving the organisation the insight to plan smarter and adapt faster.
4. Empower your line managers
The right LMS can make it easy for line managers to see progress, assign relevant learning and have meaningful development conversations with their staff. They can identify who’s excelling, who needs extra support and which skills appear to be emerging as priorities.
When managers are part of the learning loop, employees are far more likely to see training as meaningful and connected to their role (which is good news for engagement). Upskilling becomes something they discuss regularly and not just once a year.
Supporting line managers through your LMS also sends the message that learning isn’t just an L&D initiative, but a shared responsibility across the organisation.
Future-proofing your workforce
An LMS built for upskilling and reskilling drives measurable business value and boosts engagement. Some of the other benefits include:
- Reduced hiring costs by developing internal talent
- Faster onboarding
- Improved productivity through targeted skill-building
- Stronger retention through visible career progression
- Readiness for change as business priorities shift
At Synergy Learning, we help organisations design smarter learning experiences that support upskilling and reskilling aligned to your goals. From strategy to platform support, we’re here to make your LMS work harder for your people and your performance. Find out more here.
