Upskilling vs. reskilling: similarities and differences

What’s the difference between reskilling vs. upskilling?

Reskilling and upskilling help employers combat potential skills shortages. New skills set their employees apart from other organizations and ahead of industry changes. The definitions of reskilling and upskilling, respectively, are:

• Upskilling: the process of learning new skills or teaching workers new skills for their position
• Reskilling: the process of learning new skills so you can do a different job, or training people to do a different job

What’s upskilling?

Upskilling helps employers retain talent in their current positions, providing a lateral learning experience. Employees learn skills that are close to what they have learned in their current position. Upskilling allows them to stay up to date with technological advancements without drastically changing their position.

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For instance, if you’re a marketing professional, upskilling might involve learning about the latest digital marketing trends, mastering data analytics, or becoming proficient in social media advertising. The goal is to make yourself more valuable and competitive within your current field. Options for upskilling can include pursuing learning and development opportunities, joining an industry organization or professional association, and engaging in peer coaching or mentoring.

In addition to retaining talent and improving an employee’s expertise, upskilling offers additional benefits. Some benefits include:

• Filling skill gaps within your organization. Upskilling helps you fill skill gaps within your organization, while helping employees grow.
• Improving employee motivation and productivity. Employees who see growth in their role are more likely to be motivated and productive at work.
• Creating a culture of learning. Employees developing their skills inspire their coworkers to do more and sharpen their skills.

What’s reskilling?

On the other hand, reskilling teaches employees new, advanced skills to close talent gaps. An employee would undergo reskilling to keep them in the organization, advance their career path, and transition to a different role. For instance, if you’re a journalist looking to transition into a software development role, reskilling might entail learning programming languages, mastering web development, and gaining proficiency in software engineering concepts. The aim is to help you switch into a new career.

Options for reskilling opportunities include learning and skill development opportunities, shadowing a new role that interests you, and pursuing training programs offered by your employer. Wherever you can find new skills outside of your position, it is a reskilling learning opportunity.

Reskilling also offers additional benefits to your organization. These benefits include:

• Avoiding the costs of hiring new staff. Reskilling allows existing staff members to develop their expertise in needed areas, so you don’t have to hire additional employees.
• Attracting new talent. Employees seeking a new job are attracted to an organization that promotes role flexibility, learning, and opportunities for growth.
• Keeping customers happy. By keeping your employees happy in their desired roles, they will assist customers with more enthusiasm.

In the dynamic world of work, both upskilling and reskilling are essential strategies for personal and professional growth. Whether you’re aiming to enhance your current skillset or embark on a completely new career path, you can chart success with the right tools, resources, and certifications to support your journey. The key to success is adaptability and being a life-long learner to adapt to the changing work landscape. Keep learning to achieve your career dreams. For more organization and productivity hacks, check out more organization tips to efficiently manage your time during the workday.