What Is an Example of Upskilling?

There’s little doubt that the world of work is changing. This rapid change can cause a sense of unease for employees, who may wonder how to keep their skills in demand as their industries and jobs evolve around them. And indeed, a Workplace Intelligence study from 2022 found that upskilling is a concern for employees. The survey showed that 78% of workers feel they lack the skills, and 71% are worried about their education holding them back from getting ahead. Furthermore, 70% of respondents expressed feeling unprepared for the evolving workplace.

To ease these concerns, many employers are looking for ways to provide continuous learning opportunities through employee upskilling  and reskilling programs. Some upskilling and reskilling examples are hard skills that are pertinent to a specific role, while others are soft skills. Both have their own merits. Employers are increasingly offering these kinds of educational opportunities to ensure their workforce stays ahead of the curve in the changing world of work.

What do we mean by upskilling?

What do we mean when we talk about upskilling? Upskilling refers to the process of building on existing skills, knowledge, and competencies, often with the goal of developing expertise that will help a person advance in their current role. Upskilling examples for employees include tuition assistance so employees can continue their education, employer-led training, and employer-sponsored conference attendance.

Employee upskilling refers to this kind of development on a wider scale. Employers can offer employee upskilling programs to provide job-relevant training and education to their workforce to help future-proof their skills. And employees want this just as much as employers do, surveys show. In one survey, more than half of workers (52%) indicate they must continue their education in order to remain competitive in the modern workforce.

What are examples of upskilling skills? 

Nearly any job-related skill can be developed through upskilling. People in different professions will naturally have different skills they want to develop, though there are some skills that are valued across all professions. Power skills—like critical thinking, being able to navigate ambiguity, and communicating clearly and professionally—are valuable in just about every profession and can often be the kinds of skills people want to develop through upskilling.

The hard skills that a person wants to develop will depend on what their job is and what their career goals are. A software developer may want to learn a new coding language, for example, while an executive assistant may want to learn a new tool for calendar automations. 

Hard skills are often job-specific, and, because of rapid advances in technology, many relate to new and emerging technology. Digital upskilling examples could include using generative AI to brainstorm ideas, learning a new cloud-based project management tool to collaborate better with colleagues, or trying out plug-ins that offer suggestions for writing clearer, grammatically correct emails. 

What is the goal of upskilling?

There are many goals of upskilling. The broad, overarching goal for employers in offering upskilling opportunities like tuition assistance is to give employees cutting-edge skills that help their employers succeed today and into the future. In fact, 91% of business leaders agree that tuition assistance benefits programs can upskill their workforce, which gives organizations a competitive advantage.

For employees, the goals are typically more personal: They want to deepen their own skills, stay competitive, and to advance in their careers. When employees upskill, it can also help them stay engaged in the work they’re doing. According to the 2024 SEI Consumer Survey, 93% of full-time employees in the U.S. agree that learning new skills keeps them motivated at work.

How do you upskill an employee?

We’ve discussed the benefits of upskilling and examples of upskilling skills, but how does an organization go about upskilling its workforce? There are many approaches, and what will work best for an organization will depend on the needs of its workforce and its strategic goals. With that said, there are some upskilling programs that are effective across many organizations and industries. Here are some upskilling program examples:

• Education benefits assistance. Offering tuition assistance lets employees continue their education while showing them their employers are invested in their development and future. 
• Mentorship programs. Providing opportunities for employees of different levels to connect, share knowledge, and build relationships can be beneficial not just for mentees, but for the mentors as well.
• Leadership development programs. Identifying and developing future leaders is a great way of signaling to high-potential employees that they have a future within the organization. 

Offering employees continuous learning opportunities is not just good business—it’s increasingly becoming something that employees are expecting. According to a 2023 study by VOX, this year, 87% of workers believe employers should be investing in employees’ continued education. Last year, 83% of workers believed employers should be investing in employees’ continued education.

If you’re ready to invest in your employees, contact Workforce Edge today.