Amid The Great Reshuffle, many employers are seeking opportunities to reskill, upskill and even redeploy their workforce. With the impending need for skills development, these topics have become a hot button issue in the decision-making process.

But what does reskilling and upskilling actually mean for an individual organization? Is it just a new buzzword in the world of work, or is it actually important for a company’s long-term success?

It’s more than just important — it’s fundamental. A company cannot achieve future success without reskilling and upskilling their workforce.

Tapping into training to fill present skills gaps not only builds employee engagement but retains top talent and promotes a supportive workplace culture. Instead of focusing efforts outside of the talent pool, employers should look to their existing workforce and evaluate critical skills needed for today and in the future.

This means taking the conversation outside of the decision-making process and evaluating actionable solutions toward implementing a program.

Here are some ways learning leaders can start filling skills gaps in their organization:

Assess Skills Gaps

To initiate a program for skills development, leadership and management teams across departments need to be on the same page. Learning leaders should schedule a meeting for executives, human resources (HR) and managers to ask questions like:

• What skills does our talent pool have?
• What skills are missing today that the organization will need in the future?
• What skills does the organization need immediately?
• What skills will be displaced by automation in the next few years?
• What skills gaps are the most critical to fill?
• Is the company in need of a new job role or specialized skill set?

After asking these questions, evaluate the company’s current work performance and learning and development (L&D) programs with these steps:

1. Formulate a skills plan and map out what new skills your organization needs today and in the future.
2. Conduct an audit to determine what tools and resources your organization currently has in place. Are there already formal or informal programs in place to support L&D?
3. Explore methodologies to evaluate existing talent and develop succession plans.

The end goal of this evaluation isn’t just for short-term success. L&D initiatives for training and retaining a highly-skilled workforce should be replicated and remolded to fit current market demands. Learning leaders that implement a L&D program will set the organization up for continuous, long-term growth.

Empower Employees With A Blended Learning Experience

Think outside the box when developing learning modalities. L&D programs are not limited to traditional classroom or online learning. Introduce blended learning as an approach to diversify how training is delivered.

Effective modalities to improve performance and skills development can include:

• Mentorship programs: Mentoring is a personalized and targeted approach to building employees’ skills. Organizations can also include programs like reverse mentoring, where junior employees mentor senior executives.
• Stretch assignments: A great way to grow skills is to assign a project that is beyond the employee’s present skill set. Stretch assignments work to “stretch” the employee’s talent.
• Cross training” This an effective solution to reskilling employees and teaching them how to take on different roles in the company.
• Apprenticeships: Guide employees toward upward mobility with a hands-on approach that encourages learning in the flow of work.
• Volunteering: Working outside of their organization allows employees to not only build upon their current skillset but learn new ones that they can bring back to their industry.

For these learning initiatives to be successful, organizations must train leadership to advocate and take accountability of their team’s L&D. Managers should be trained to make learning a priority and to carve out time to follow up with their employees about recent training, their career goals and ways to achieve those goals.

These tools in L&D can be used to not only develop employees’ skills, but to also increase their support for the organization. Building this connection in an environment of trust can lead to increased retention, a goal many employers are prioritizing today in the current war for talent.

Promote Opportunities in L&D

Implementing effective opportunities for L&D is the primary step in reskilling and upskilling efforts, but if workers are not aware of these learning programs, the next step should consider ways to drive awareness and participation.

Communicate existing L&D programs to leadership teams across the entire organization and share how training can benefit not only their team members but themselves as well. Spreading awareness for your learning initiatives helps prepare key stakeholders to provide optimal support for their employees.

When delivering communications about available programs in L&D, it’s important to remain transparent as well as open to feedback and new ideas. There is always room for growth in L&D, and with ongoing changes in the world of work, it is vital to be open to different perspectives.

To effectively communicate and boost participation of L&D programs, learning leaders should:

• Develop a yearlong campaign that highlights the company’s L&D programs and showcases success stories. Each month can take on a different theme that highlights separate topics.
• Partner with HR or the communications team to create relevant and engaging content that can be shared internally to boost company culture and externally, to build the company’s brand.
• Use a spreadsheet to keep each communication organized with an editorial calendar of when and how training updates will be delivered inside the organization. Spreadsheets are effective visual representations of the communication plan and schedule.
• Adopt quarterly plans that target specific L&D initiatives, like:
  • Q1: Introducing Our Talent Strategy and Program
  • Q2: Internal and External Development Programs Available
  • Q3: Our Associates in Action – Training Testimonials
  • Q4: Our Vision and Values – Empowering Associates

As the world of work continues to shift, it is critical for learning leaders to support the organization’s continuity by seeking training opportunities that boost employee engagement and retention, and that build a company culture that promotes continuous growth and empowers their people to reach their greatest potential.