As the global health crisis begins to recede in some countries, the economic one is only just beginning. The world is facing a reskilling emergency.
The need to upskill and reskill was already evident before the rise of COVID-19, but the pandemic has made this necessity more urgent. This fact is underscored in a recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) which reports that automation, in conjunction with COVID-19, is creating a “double-disruption” for workers. It predicts that 50% of all employees will need reskilling in the next five years.
The growing trend in reskilling workers such as Amazon’s recent announcement of its intention to reskill 100,000 of its employees, requires us to examine how we might reskill an entire sector or workforce.
3 Reskilling Methods
1. Industry Courses and Qualifications
Industry courses, qualifications, and certifications are a straightforward way to gain and demonstrate knowledge and skills.
By offering in-house training, or subsidizing extra-company courses, employers can be certain their staff are gaining valuable and industry-specific knowledge. This also goes a long way to ensure organizations are in compliance with industry standards. Employees are not only enriched in terms of their knowledge of the industry in which they work, they will also feel more valued by their organization. Arguably this is a win-win dynamic.
2. On-the-Job Training
In practice, this means an employee who is new to a role is matched with an experienced colleague or team leader to accelerate their learning; it can also be used just as effectively as part of an internal job transition program enabling employees to learn a new job and new skills before they actually change roles.
Training on the job is ideal for reskilling employees on new production methods, such as making different types of products on an assembly line, new technologies and much more
3. Mentoring/Coaching
A workplace mentoring program typically involves collaboration with employees to identify, target, and plan for better performance, or the development of a specific set of work-related skills. Mentorship/coaching is especially effective in retraining employees for internal transfers within the company, as they will benefit from the mentor’s expertise.
A company that reskills employees itself reaps numerous benefits by retaining and using loyal employees to the fullest extent possible. Now is the time to consider how your own business will implement such a program so that reskilling can become a central element of your Learning & Development and Employee Retention strategies.
If you have any questions about how to start reskilling your workers, book a chat with me to explore the many options I offer – from training to consulting and more.
