The professional world measures the skills of every worker. The role played in the company, and potential professional growth is determined by the kind of skills exhibited. Thus, especially in the current scenario, developing your skills and learning new ones has become exceedingly important. One of the main reasons for this is the sudden and momentous growth in technology. This digital transformation is quickly changing the customer dynamics and affecting how products are sold and bought. There’s a radical shift into creating more customer-centric product models which cater to increased customer satisfaction and efficient data use.
Another major reason is the skill gap. Recently, there has been an increase in vacant positions requiring workers with new skills. This talent gap, mainly due to technological shortcomings, is hampering the growth of the business. With the high intensity and level of competition in the business sector, it has become more than necessary to employ life-long learning and intelligent upskilling.
So, what is Upskilling?
Upskilling has become a corporate priority, with top companies investing in the growth of their employees to provide better services to their customers. It facilitates continuous learning and improvement of your current skill-set. Therefore, through training, you can advance your position in a company and create new opportunities for yourself. On a corporate level, your company benefits greatly because of adapting to the latest trends and greater productivity and quality work. On a personal level, this improves your opportunities drastically and provides a deeper understanding of your learning and implementation.
Some upskilling techniques would be;
- Microlearning: This technique involves short-term strategies to promote holistic and skill-based learning.
- Virtual/Online Courses: The multitude of knowledge being offered online has opened up new avenues for those who wish to learn.
- Peer Coaching: An excellent technique for team-building as well, this method encourages colleagues to share knowledge and grow together
- Peer Mentoring: Different from peer coaching in the way that a more experienced colleague provides guidance and teaches a less experienced one.
Now, there is another term which might be familiar- ‘Reskilling.’
Reskilling, in simple words, is teaching new skills. It involves learning new skills which suit an entirely different role from your current skill-set. There has been an increase in this trend as well, with employees taking on very different roles from their previous ones. Companies benefit from this as they can avoid laying off employees due to talent shortages and simply adapt to the current trends and fill their skill gaps. For employees looking to change career paths, this is a great way to reinvent and explore new skills. As mentioned before, with the ever-evolving technological advancements, reskilling has become a very plausible solution.
How is it different from Upskilling?
Unlike upskilling, which deals with finessing the current skill-set, reskilling is a complete turn. Upskilling focuses on developing your field of expertise and harnessing skills already in your arena. Reskilling is learning a completely different or very minutely related skill-set than your own.
Another interesting approach is New Skilling. It is a more holistic approach to employee development and growth in response to the high demand in the market. It refers to continuous learning to help develop these high-demand skills. It involves both upskilling (if the current capabilities are to be honed) and reskilling(if entirely new capabilities are to be developed).
This approach is fresh and encourages employers and employees to be aware of the relevant trends in their skilling strategies. This way, more inclusive and thoughtful programs can be undertaken. The needs of organisations are ever-evolving, and employees need to be equipped to provide their best front whenever required.
-Anushka Das, content writer
