How to Build an Effective Upskilling Program for Employees

Think back to the things you learned in school. Are they all still relevant to the work you do today? How many of your current skills did you learn in school, and how many have you developed along the way—by collaborating with colleagues, taking courses or earning certifications when you noticed you had a skills gap, or reading up on topics that interest you?

If you’ve developed a lot of skills along the way, you’re not alone. Many people today are engaged in lifelong learning. In fact, it’s almost a prerequisite to being successful in today’s changing world of work, and it's often accomplished through employee upskilling.  

Let’s explore what it means to develop new skills while working and how employers can develop upskilling programs for employees to help employees upskill and become lifelong learners. 

What is the meaning of upskilling employees?

Upskilling happens when employees pursue training and development to grow their skills. Employees upskill for lots of different reasons: they may want to advance in their careers by landing a promotion, to command a higher salary, or to keep their skills marketable in a changing industry—or even a combination of all three. Whenever an employee develops new skills that help them do their job better, they’re upskilling. 

Why upskilling employees is so important right now

Upskilling employees has never been more important than it is right now. Developments in technology are changing the ways we work, communicate, and collaborate. With the rise of artificial intelligence and automation, more and more companies are looking to harness these advancements to do their work faster and more efficiently.

For some companies, this means finding ways to automate rote, everyday tasks—leaving the more sophisticated tasks that people are better equipped to handle for their employees. These kinds of tasks often require 21st century skills like communication, critical thinking, and problem solving. Employees with changing job responsibilities may find themselves needing to upskill in these areas to succeed in this new world of work.

There are many benefits of upskilling for employers and employees alike. Not only does upskilling help employees develop new skills, knowledge, and competencies that can open doors to new career opportunities, but it can also help companies attract and retain top talent. According to a 2022 survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and TalentLMS, 76% of employees say they are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training. In other words, it’s a win-win all around; employees get to grow their skills, and companies can keep employees happy by showing they’re invested in their growth, too. 

What is the best way to upskill?

The best way to upskill can vary based on a few factors. What works best for one company or employee may not work as well for another. It all depends on what skills and competencies employees need to develop, how soon they need to develop them, and how complex they are to learn.

One effective way to upskill employees is to offer tuition reimbursement or assistance. This is when a company pays for or reimburses employees for pursuing education or training that supports their professional development goals.

For some employees, this may be a short-term learning program that helps them learn something quickly—like a new skill, technology, or methodology—so they can stay relevant in a rapidly-changing industry. For others, they may put their tuition assistance or reimbursement dollars toward a longer-term learning program like an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree.

Offering tuition assistance isn’t without its challenges, though. It’s no secret that managing these programs can be a lot of work for HR teams, who have to stay up to date on benefit details, raise awareness of what’s available to employees, stay within budget, and help employees submit documentation to get reimbursement.

Upskilling platforms can be a great solution for companies that want to offer education benefits to their employees but don’t want to manually manage all the logistics of delivering these benefits themselves.  

How to build a successful upskilling program

Building a successful upskilling training program can be a lot of work for an HR team. To take this burden off their HR department, some companies partner with benefits management platforms like Workforce Edge to administer their upskilling programs.

Platform providers typically come with a network of education providers and an assortment of programs that can be curated to fit your organization’s employee upskilling needs, ensuring that the skills your company needs to help stay competitive and keep employees engaged are being focused on.

“We’re here to take care of some of the heavy lifts,” says Dana Mallory, manager of advising services with Workforce Edge. “We can act as a sort of go-between for employees and their education, so your HR department doesn’t have to. And once employees are enrolled in a program, all the information is there to view within Workforce Edge. We take out all of the guesswork.” 

Interested in learning more about building an upskilling training program of your own? At Workforce Edge, that’s our specialty. Let’s talk.