Many of you may think that upskilling and reskilling are two similar forms with the same fundamentals and goals. Despite being almost similar, there are several factors that made these two words widely different from each other, especially in the corporate industry.
Since upskilling and reskilling are made for a unique purpose, you must know their differences, especially when making online training resources. Although one deals with shifting in career path, the other is usually involved in acquiring new sets of competencies and skills.
For instance, workers are required to reskill, especially if the management provides them with new sets of job responsibilities or if they switched to another company or industry. The following are some major examples that will help you know and better understand the difference between upskilling and reskilling. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
Common Examples of Reskilling and Upskilling in L&D Action
If you are a business owner, you have your own reason why you need or will be needing to integrate reskilling and upskilling training initiatives. The following are some good examples that tackle upskilling and reskilling concerning various sectors and industries.
New Recruits are Missing Crucial Skills
You have just hired full-packed talents who have experience and skills suitable for the job vacancy. The problem is that their current skills and experience are not enough to make them a more valuable talent for the team.
For instance, one of your newly hired employees already has great interpersonal and communication skills. She is knowledgeable about the company policy and the ins and outs of a product. On the other hand, she lacks negotiation skills that are ideal for improving sales and solving customer hesitation.
Thus, as a company manager, it is your job to widen her set of skills through the use of upskilling support tools. Through this, she can greatly contribute to achieving the company’s quarterly sale targets.
Similarly, workers who already have strong leadership skills should also learn new capabilities that they can connect to their existing skills.
Automation Enters the Scene
Another difference between upskilling and reskilling is that the former usually involves procedural or infrastructural modifications. A great example of this is the development of new technology that made you reassess and restructure your existing company approach. Beyond that, these innovations also force you to use new tools and software that will help you complete tasks faster.
In other words, manual work becomes obsolete with the presence of automation. With that in mind, workers should learn how to adopt these changes and adjust their necessary competencies and skills.
Changes in Compliance Policies
You will see the different areas that make upskilling and reskilling distinct from each other when company policies or new compliance regulations are mandated. Employees should also learn and acquire skills related to their job responsibilities to avoid any gaps.
Reskilling is the most appropriate strategy to use in situations like this, especially if the policies have changed drastically. This is because staffers should undergo training and go out of their comfort zone to ensure positive performance behaviors.
An Employee’s Skill Set is More Suitable Elsewhere
There are some cases where an employee’s skills and areas of expertise are more suitable to other job responsibilities or duties. In this case, a reskilling program is more beneficial as it will help them to shift their expertise focus efficiently. Aside from that, they also need to pursue new capabilities that are relevant to their career path.
Even though they have talents not related to their duties in your company, they are still considered valuable members. For example, a sales agent is proficient in persuasion and negotiation. On the one hand, she also knows the company’s policies and is proficient in solving customer complaints. In this case, she may be a valuable member of your customer service team.
Summary
All establishments should know what makes upskilling different from reskilling. Through this, an organization can avoid gaps in its responsibilities. Aside from that, upskilling and reskilling are two programs that are significantly important for organizational growth.
To conclude, upskilling and reskilling are two programs designed to improve internal talent and minimize turnover using different sets of approaches. If your company is not using upskilling or reskilling yet, your organization might be left behind in this competitive market.
Take note that your employees are the key drivers that boost success in your company. Thus, you need to value them by helping them acquire new skills and sets of competencies.
