After everything that has happened in the past year, the idea to upskill and reskill your workforce might not be high up on the agenda, as opposed to making sure your business returns towards some kind of normality. However, tough times such as these might actually be the perfect time to upskill and reskill your workforce.
What is upskilling and reskilling?
Starting out with the difference between the two – upskilling is when you learn additional skills, whereas reskilling is when you learn entirely new skills so that you can do a different job. Thus, deciding to upskill and reskill your workforce can come with many benefits, which can cover many different areas of your business.
Why now?
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many businesses hard, and still continues to affect our working lives over a year later. Whilst some worked from home, others flexibly, many loyal employees have been forced to become extremely adaptable in what jobs they do on a day-to-day basis.
One study by Deloitte found that 55% of respondents agreed at least to a small extent that they had experienced several changes in the types of daily tasks they undertake at work. This same study found that 47% agreed at least to a small extent that they had also seen a shift in the skills needed to perform their duties.
As the pandemic has changed the workplace, perhaps forever, there is no better time than now to make sure that our employees are fully trained and highly skilled in all areas. After all, some businesses might be presented with a blank slate – rewriting their practices from the very beginning.
So, how do I upskill and reskill my workforce in 2021?
- Consult the employees themselves
No-one knows better than the employees themselves about where the gaps in their learning might be, or what areas they might like to reskill in. This way you can make sure that everyone can upskill and reskill in the areas which they need and/or want.
- Training webinars and virtual conferences
Conducting your training online with a webinar or virtual conference from ON24 makes sure that all of your employees can attend and gain the necessary skills. Whether they are working remotely from home, in the office, or a hybrid of both, webinars are accessible for all, and easily geared towards the area in which your employees want training.
- Consider how upskilling and reskilling can future proof your business
Is there a new technology, for example, which might drastically help your processing or communications, but requires training to use it effectively? Making sure that your employees are encouraged to upskill and reskill can help to future proof your business model, as employees will always be on top of the newest skills.
Final comments
Overall, though it might not seem like the obvious choice when faced with rebuilding society to the ‘new normal’, the post-COVID era might be the perfect time to upskill and reskill your workforce.
To effectively identify the skills gaps and target the right areas for upskilling and reskilling, you might consider implementing a comprehensive skills taxonomy to map out the skills required for various roles within your organization.
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