What Are Upskilling Programs?

Employee upskilling can take many forms. Any time an employee sets out to learn something that expands their existing skill set, they’re upskilling. This could be as involved as studying for years to earn an advanced degree, or it could be as simple as shadowing someone they work with for a few hours to learn a new system.

Let’s explore the different kinds of upskilling programs for employees one might encounter at different workplaces. 

What are upskilling programs?

An upskilling program gives employees access to educational or training opportunities to learn and grow their skills. Upskilling programs for employees have been adopted by many companies that want to help employees develop their skills and stay competitive in the marketplace. 

You’ll often find these programs offered in the workplace because of the tangible benefits they offer to both employers and employees alike—benefits that we’ll discuss more in a little bit. 

Now that you know what upskilling is, let’s talk about how it happens.  

What is the process of upskilling?

The process of upskilling happens when employees learn new skills or enhance their existing skills to help them stay competitive and advance their careers. When they upskill, employees can close their skills gaps and develop the competencies they need to open doors to new career paths.  

The process of upskilling can take different forms. It often happens formally, through job-supported training and development, though it may sometimes happen more organically through things like informal mentorship. In effect, any time that an employee engages in training or education to deepen their existing knowledge and skills, this is considered upskilling.

What are the goals of upskilling?

There are many goals and benefits of upskilling, from developing promising talent to maintaining a strong competitive advantage to increased employee retention.

Employers typically offer upskilling programs with several goals in mind. These goals might include being able to better recruit and retain employees, prepare employees for the work of the future, make their workforce more productive, and develop employees who show high potential to grow within the organization. 

On the flip side, employees have their own reasons and goals for upskilling. Employees may decide to upskill to grow more confident in their skills, stay on top of changes in their field, and open up new career pathways that could lead to greater responsibilities and higher salaries. A survey by Workforce Edge backs this up: 96% of Workforce Edge users surveyed are using their education benefits to improve their opportunities for future promotion, career advancement, or higher salary.

How do I create an upskilling program?

There are many benefits to upskilling programs—but how do you go about actually creating one at your organization? These programs can take many forms, and there are lots of options out there when it comes to giving your employees opportunities to upskill. Tuition assistance, cross-training programs, and job shadowing are just some upskilling examples.

Some companies offer in-house training and development to their employees. If you’ve ever attended multi-day departmental trainings, monthly “lunch and learns,” or online training modules, then you’ve taken part in an upskilling program. These are typically created by human resources or learning and development teams with input from other departments and are tied closely to the companies’ way of working and strategic goals.

Another type of upskilling program that a company might create itself is a leadership development program. In such programs, high potential employees—often new to the workforce—have the chance to cross-train in different departments under the mentorship of more senior staff members. This gives junior employees a chance to try out different roles and departments to learn what’s a good fit for them, while the company gets the chance to shape and develop its future leaders.

While these in-house programs can be beneficial, they aren’t without challenges. They can be time-consuming to develop, expensive to maintain, and difficult to keep relevant as changes occur in the organization and in the industry at large.

As a result, many companies choose instead to create an upskilling program by providing tuition assistance to employees in partnership with education benefits management providers. This lets employees choose what they want to study from a large catalog of programs, schools, and education providers that the benefits provider works with.

For companies, the benefit is clear: their employees get access to a broader range of upskill, training, and development opportunities than they themselves could provide. It also means that their employees have access to accredited learning programs that have recognized value in the market—an opportunity the employees may not have had if their employer hadn’t provided it to them. 56% of Workforce Edge users surveyed agree that without Workforce Edge and their employer education benefits, they would not have gone back to school while working.

Looking to create or improve your organization’s upskilling program? Contact Workforce Edge to learn how easy it can be to get your employees on the path to upskilling.