Webinar Recap: Upskilling and Reskilling Strategies

Upskilling allows your team to adapt to changes in job roles and learn new tools, while reskilling can help prepare employees to take on new challenges or move into a different role. As leaders, there are actionable insights to be learned and practical strategies to implement to ensure your workforce is prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly changing job market. Better understand how to identify skills gaps, develop tailored training programs, implement effective upskilling initiatives, and measure the impact of these programs in the clips below featuring coaches Shari Jo Watkins, Teresa Muller, Elaine Jacob, and Katie Leimkuehler.

Identifying Skill Gaps & Future Needs 

Do you have a process in place to measure the existing skills of your workforce? According to the World Economic Forum Future Of Jobs Report (2023), 44% of an individual worker’s skills must be updated to meet the needs of the evolving job market.  Learn methods for tracking industry trends, creating a skills inventory, and developing strategic workforce plans with Coach Katie below.

Key takeaways:

• The first action leaders should consider is conducting a skills assessment to learn about the current state of knowledge gaps among the team.

• Individual contributors moving to managerial roles is a common area of skill and training gaps.

• If and when soliciting thoughtful feedback from employees, it’s important to act on this and create measurable change to avoid survey fatigue.

• Industry trends provide valuable insight into addressing skill gaps, whether it’s related to digital transformation, training, soft skills, research, and others.

• Understanding the present state, planning for the long term, identifying challenges, monitoring progress, and communicating strategies can set your organization up for success.

Developing Tailored Training Programs

Reskilling presents an exciting opportunity to be innovative by leveraging non-traditional engagement techniques and technology. Learn how to create customized and creative training programs that address skill gaps and development with Coach Elaine below.

Key takeaways:

• A powerful reframing of training programs can be about creating “Personalized Learning Experiences” that are easy to complete, relevant, engaging, and individualized. 

• Blending learning programs are inherently cohesive and create balance.

Implementing Effective Upskilling Initiatives

“Autonomous” and “intrinsic” are essential words for Coach Elaine. Gain a better understanding of best practices for upskilling employees, focusing on enhancing existing skills and capabilities that benefit the entire organization.

Key takeaways:

• A key ingredient for upskilling or reskilling your workforce involves creating a culture of learning within your organization, starting from the top down.

• Leaders must model curiosity and create intentional environments for upskilling initiatives to be sustainable.

• “Feed-forward” is just as important as “feedback”; if you could do it again, what would you do differently?

Reskilling For Career Transitions

If you don’t give your team the training they need, they’ll look for it somewhere else, according to Coach Teresa. Gain more insights into strategies for reskilling employees to transition into new roles or adapt to changing job requirements below.

Key takeaways:

• For reskilling and growth pathways to be effective, people must have a clear understanding of the opportunities and roles available to them.

• A major part of transferable skills is understanding yourself as an individual, and the individual strengths that make you an asset. 

• Clarity of the desired outcomes creates the foundation for effective training programs.

Measuring The Impact Of Upskilling & Reskilling Programs

Discover methods for tracking progress and evaluating the effectiveness of reskilling and upskilling initiatives with Coach Teresa below.

Key takeaways:

• Define KPI’s (key performance indicators) and goals according to your specific team and their unique needs and context.

• “You do not know if you do not know”. When soliciting feedback, be sure to take time to listen, believe the feedback you receive, and commit to taking action.

Want to learn more about how you can transform your workforce and drive organizational success through effective upskilling and reskilling strategies? Connect with a Coach 1:1 to create an approach specific to your context.

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Webinar recorded July 2024