It was not until long ago that employees would rely on their existing skills to perform a job. Having a skillset related to a particular profession was considered sufficient. Moreover, training and development programs for employees were also focused on the jobs they were already doing. However, the rules have changed and the future of work expects employees to acquire multiple skillsets to succeed and stay relevant.
What are Upskilling and Reskilling?
Up-skilling is used to make employees learn new skills to help them advance within their current role in the company. Whereas, reskilling is used for gaining new skills that replace existing ones. The purpose of reskilling is to enable employees to take up a new role.
Organizations are also making efforts to upskill and reskill their employee base. Specialized training and capacity-building programs are designed to equip workers with the required expertise.
Upskilling and reskilling are the need of the hour for employees and employers alike to stay competitive.
Transferability
Skills that can be utilized in different job roles regardless of the profession are called transferable skills. Problem-solving, teamwork, communication, leadership, etc. are all examples of transferable skills. Someone hands-on with a transferable skillset can thrive in any given role irrespective of the function or even industry.
Automation
Given the rapid advancements in the technological world, most manual jobs are now made redundant. And therefore, many people lose their jobs each year. Upgrading existing skills and learning new skills is the only way to stay relevant. For example, a traditional marketing professional cannot bring in his top game until he/she learns digital marketing techniques through upskilling. Or a Customer Service Executive may need to reskill as an Accounting Assistant since chatbots are gradually taking over their jobs. Even many processes in HR, Supply Chain, and Finance are now automated through online software.
Support Cross-functional Teams
Employees who up-skill and reskill can better contribute to cross-functional projects. It allows for teamwork, collaboration, open communication, and culture building. For example, someone highly skilled in Advanced Excel can be valuable to Finance, Audit, Tax, and even Human Resource teams.
The world of work keeps on changing. Upskilling and reskilling existing skills are the only ways to keep up with its pace. Depending upon a particular skillset is not recommended or beneficial in the long run. Therefore, employees and organizations are making continuous efforts to upgrade their competencies. Up-skilling and reskilling enable workers to gain skills that can be transferred and used in various other job roles. Also, with technology replacing mundane manual jobs, redundancy is inevitable. Therefore, upgrading oneself is the only way to sustain the change. Last but not the least, upskilling and reskilling support in cross-functional team collaboration. A single skillset can be utilized in a variety of projects and assignments.
We at métier provide an array of customized training programs. We offer a range of soft and technical skill training that will serve your upskilling and reskilling interventions. Our master trainers will provide you with learning solutions specific to your business needs.
