There is sometimes confusion over the human resources terms “upskilling” and “reskilling,” but they are different concepts, with different goals.
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There is sometimes confusion over the human resources terms “upskilling” and “reskilling,” but they are different concepts, with different goals. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, upskilling is training for employees who need to learn new skills to improve their current performance without changing their career paths. Reskilling, then, is training for employees who have shown they can learn completely new jobs. Here are some things to keep in mind about reskilling.
It’s a way to keep top talent. The 2021 Workforce Report by talent cloud company iCIMS shows 72% of human resource professionals having redeployed up to half of their workforce in 2020 due to the pandemic. Workers’ roles were readjusted to meet company needs, writes Inc.com’s Marcel Schwantes, momentum that’s expected to continue, especially for technology responsibilities. “In-demand tech roles can take 61 days to fill,” writes Schwantes. “Instead of sourcing elsewhere, employers should analyze skills gaps and provide on-the-job training to reskill their talent and fill vital positions with their top internal talent.”
It breeds adaptable, confident workers, says Flexjobs.com’s Emily Courtney. Team members who gain new skills can pivot with market changes; therefore, so can your business. They know how to be more productive if they can foresee a clear road ahead. “Development opportunities help employees envision a career path and future with the company, so they feel like they’re working toward something,” which fosters innovation, writes Courtney.
It saves money and builds value. “Recruiting, interviewing, vetting and hiring new employees is expensive and time-consuming, even before you get to onboarding,” says Insperity, an HR consulting, employee screening and recruiting company, in its blog. Then there is the chance those hires won’t work out. Reskilled employees also offer a stronger employer brand and deeper wellspring of innovation, long term, Insperity notes.
