The workforce is transforming daily, and enterprises are implementing hiring and training strategies to ensure they can meet market demand. An initiative that many organizations are adopting is upskilling employees so they can address the current talent shortage and close skills gaps.
Upskilling is a training strategy that provides employees with training so they can develop more advanced skills and possibly prepare to move into new, more challenging job roles. Upskilling employees is essential in light of the Great Resignation because it enables employees to fill critical talent needs in a dynamic economy.
Organizations such as Google, Wal-Mart, Verizon, McDonald’s, and Marriott International have invested billions in upskilling programs to enable employees to improve existing skills, pursue a college degree, and learn new skills. This will allow employees to move into new job roles or management positions. These organizations are among the many companies that understand the importance of investing in employee development.
When developing a strategy to upskill your employees, it is imperative to follow the lead of top upskill enterprises and adopt a strategic process. Here is a three-step process to help you get started.
Quantify Upskilling Goals
Talent shortages reduce overall productivity and constrain your organization’s ability to innovate and adopt new technologies. So, you must first determine which skills your organization needs in the short and long term.
Many enterprises create skill needs forecasting models to maximize existing employees’ skill levels and abilities and build a pipeline of highly skilled workers to meet current and future business demands.
Clearly define quantitative goals to measure the effectiveness of employee development programs. For example, if one of your objectives is to increase the number of IT employees who are proficient in Python, Java, or C# by 25%, you must define how including this in your program to upskill employees will help you meet a specific goal such as improving time-to-market with new products or making it easier to fill critical positions quickly.
Conduct Skills Analyses
Once you define your primary objectives, your next step is to conduct skill needs analyses to get an accurate picture of your current workforce skills.
Start by conducting a skills analysis for each team member to identify deficiencies and mismatches. For example, if a computer proficiency skills test shows an employee has an excellent grasp of MS Word but is not as well-versed in MS Excel, you can provide training to help them enhance their expertise in setting up and working with spreadsheets.
Using the eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM to administer skills tests is the best way to assess the abilities needed for specific positions and projects and to identify and measure knowledge gaps between the employee and new requirements.
eSkill’s comprehensive library of customizable employment assessments makes it easy to measure employees’ skills, and it is easy to organize scores and share results instantly using the intuitive dashboard.
Evaluating and Scaling Upskill Programs
Top organizations continuously measure upskilling initiative progress to assess effectiveness and make decisions. For example, in September 2021, Amazon committed $1.2 billion to providing access to education and skills training programs for 300,000 employees–—including college tuition for front-line employees—through 2025.
As part of its Upskilling 2025 initiative, Amazon offers training programs that support Amazon employees as they gain the expertise they need to move into more highly skilled and better-paying technical and non-technical roles.
It is almost impossible to determine if initiatives you’ve implemented to upskill your employees are working unless you set up a system to track staff progress. So, HR leaders should leverage digital industry-leading tools such as the eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM to monitor their results.
In today’s fast-changing and uncertain workplace environment, your organization must be able to pivot to adjust to market demands. Taking the time to assess your staff’s current and future skill needs and develop employee upskilling programs will future-proof your organization.
Interested in Implementing a Program to Upskill Your Employees?
Investing in employee upskilling will help your organization build a skilled talent pool and lay the groundwork for workforce development programs that prepare your organization for greater success.
Do you want to learn how using eSkill’s customizable skills tests can help you implement an effective program for upskilling your employees? Contact us to request a demo.