There is plenty of industry discussion surrounding upskilling, spearheaded by a recent Fosway Group report revealing that upskilling and reskilling is the top strategic priority for L&D professionals. As the skills gap widens, the function must invest in both role-specific skills and career development. 

Upskilling and reskilling are powerful tools that go beyond merely filling skill gaps. They are catalysts for both employee growth and organisational success. This investment should begin on day one of a new employee's journey, with effective onboarding ensuring they have the essential skills for a strong start. This commitment to development should continue through their time with an organisation.

By prioritising employee development, companies can create a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and adaptability. This not only boosts job satisfaction and engagement but also nurtures a talent pipeline poised to embrace new challenges and drive business forward.

Moreover, the link between upskilling and career progression is undeniable. The People Profession 2023 report found that professionals who have upskilled are significantly more likely to say their career progression has exceeded their expectations. Additionally, PwC’s latest Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey shows that employees who say they are likely to switch employers in the next 12 months are nearly twice as likely to strongly consider opportunities to learn new skills in such decisions.

Skills mapping across your organisation is necessary for a successful upskilling strategy.

Developing an upskilling strategy

A strategic approach to upskilling should: 

Utilise organisation-wide skills mapping 

Engaging in skills mapping across your organisation is necessary for a successful upskilling strategy. This process entails a detailed analysis of roles critical for business operations, ensuring a clear understanding of evolving skill requirements. Regular updates to these mappings are vital to reflect the dynamic nature of skills.

Recognise that each department and role have different needs 

Upskilling employees (and offering training opportunities at any level) can’t work with a one-size-fits all approach. Tailoring upskilling initiatives on both a departmental and individual basis ensures that training aligns with specific job requirements, maximising its impact.

From your initial roles and skills mapping, along with the current organisational level priorities and objectives, look at what departments or functions could most benefit from more support with their upskilling initiatives. 

Look at current requirements alongside a long-term plan 

All employees should be given the opportunity to complete skills surveys or assessments and Individual Development Plans, or IDP’s. This document is a personalised resource which helps employees to grow professionally. It will include specific steps which should be taken for them to meet the goals set out within the document. When an organisation utlitises personal development planning in this way, it helps to embed a culture of learning as an ongoing process and not just as and when it is necessary to review.    

Prepare your workforce for change by anticipating future skill requirements based on industry trends and technological advancements.

How to upskill your employees in 6 steps: Your upskilling plan template 

Once you have established how you are going to approach upskilling within your organisation, you can work to introduce a framework in which upskilling individual employees can be integrated into your organisation's culture and operations. This section will guide you through a six-step process introduced by the L&D leader that can then be rolled out with supervision by line managers.

1. Define your upskilling goals

• Determine the specific skills and knowledge that your employees currently lack or could develop further for them to progress. 
• Focus on the skills that are critical to achieving your business objectives and ensuring employee success.
• Prepare your workforce for change by anticipating future skill requirements based on industry trends and technological advancements.

2. Align upskilling with business objectives

• Explore how to identify the skills needed to achieve strategic goals and ensure that upskilling efforts are aligned with the overall direction of the business.
• Determine which skills are most critical to achieving your business objectives and allocate resources accordingly.
• Develop metrics to track the effectiveness of upskilling initiatives and assess their contribution to business outcomes.

3. Conduct a skills audit

• Evaluate the current skills and knowledge levels of your employees.
• Determine where there are gaps between the required skills and their current skillset.
• Leverage data within a learning management system to identify completion rates, stumbling blocks and areas of interest. 

4. Provide personalised learning opportunities

• Leverage digital learning technology to provide a diverse range of solutions that cater to the varied learning needs across your entire workforce. This will ensure access to the most relevant learning methods.
• Provide employees with learn on-demand content across diverse subjects, so they have instant access to the learning resources they need, whenever they need them.
• Ensure training is fully accessible for those working remotely and for those with other specific accessibility needs.

5. Closely monitor progress

• Implement regular check-ins to ensure that your employees are progressing well. 
• Ask for feedback to identify areas where additional support may be needed. 
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of the upskilling initiative.

6. Create a culture of ongoing learning

• Encourage a mindset of continuous learning that does not just stop when the task has been ticked off.
• Recognise and reward employees for their commitment to upskilling initiatives and the positive outcomes that come along with it.
• Build a collaborating workforce where learners feel empowered to share knowledge and seek out their own learning opportunities.
• Offer targeted learning experiences through role-specific learning paths that get pushed out whilst also providing self-serve opportunities via an extensive library of resources.

To learn more about building a business case for upskilling and creating a strategy that considers different generations, read the deeper-dive article published by The Access Group.