Reskilling Training

Reskilling training is the process of teaching employees completely new skills to prepare them for different jobs within the same company, often to address changing job requirements or technological advancements. It differs from upskilling, which enhances existing skills for the current role. Companies use reskilling to retain valuable employees, fill internal positions more quickly than external hiring, and maintain workforce stability and adaptability during market shifts 

Why Companies Implement Reskilling

• Talent Retention:
  Reskilling helps keep exceptional employees when their current jobs become irrelevant or obsolete. 

• Reduced Hiring Costs:
  It can be more cost-effective to train an existing employee for a new role than to hire someone new from the outside. 

• Workforce Adaptability:
  A reskilled workforce can adapt more easily to new business goals and respond effectively to changes in technology and market demands. 

• Internal Mobility:
  It provides a pathway for employees to transition into different roles or departments within the organization. 

Creating a Reskilling Program

1. Make reskilling a strategic necessity across the business
In many businesses, HR owns the reskilling agenda, with 65% of organizations viewing reskilling primarily as an HR function. This suggests there is much room to make reskilling a more collaborative, company-wide approach where reskilling is embraced across the leadership team. The most successful reskilling programs require commitment from HR and the wider organization, which is why this is key.   HR has a responsibility to demonstrate the need for reskilling and tie this to business objectives to gain buy-in from stakeholders.

2. Uncover skills gaps
Once you map out your organization’s long-term goals and what it takes to achieve them, you need to assess how well your current roles and workforce are equipped to support these objectives. This means identifying any gaps between the skills employees have and the skills their roles require. An updated skills inventory of what your employees have to offer can reveal secondary and tertiary skills. You can use it in conjunction with a skills gap analysis to help you determine the specific skills and knowledge your workforce is missing. 

3. Look for skill adjacencies
Once you have identified the critical skills needed, look for adjacent abilities, or “skills closely matched to those in demand,” to make the task of reskilling a little easier. Employees with related competencies may already have the right attributes, or can quickly learn what they need to for a new role. For example, someone with customer/client service experience can make a smooth transition into sales because they have strong communication skills and first-hand knowledge of your product or service. With the growing popularity of online banking, banks in Singapore are reskilling their frontline staff to be able to work in customer contact centers.

4. Organize specific skills training
Once you understand which skills in which departments you need to develop, you can determine the exact training required for your employees to develop these skills.  Since there will be variance within your employees’ skill sets, trainings must be somewhat personalized to meet different learning needs. Offering an assortment of training methods is ideal. Your current learning methods may not be sufficient for certain types of reskilling, so it could be time to invest in other resources. Video courses can form the core material for reskilling using Internal company boot camps are an example of how organizations frequently reskill employees from non-tech roles to technical ones. These employees are then equipped to tackle company-specific challenges.

5. Combine a variety of reskilling methods
You should have several education delivery techniques in place to ensure flexibility and options that work best for different learning styles and the type of skill gap you aim to address. The more training occasions and methods you offer, the higher participation will be.

Examples of these methods include:

• On-the-job training:
  Employees can have real-world exposure to the tasks of a new role by taking on small projects for another team or through a mentoring relationship.

• Online Video learning:
  Online Video courses are beneficial because they are accessible anytime and anywhere to speed up the learning process. Bite-sized learning is advantageous as it concentrates on the specific information needed to achieve a learning objective. It’s also easy for all types of learners to grasp.

• Blended learning:
  Combining online learning with classroom training assures all material is covered. It also provides the opportunity for learners to ask questions and interact with an instructor.

• Peer learning:
  Employees can learn from each other when they collaborate and reflect on real-world scenarios or hands-on practice of new tasks.

6. Make reskilling programs attractive
32% percent of businesses face challenges in convincing employees to apply for and complete reskilling programs, which is why it’s crucial that your reskilling programs are desirable. It’s important that reskilling is presented as a choice and not a requirement, However, to increase participation, organizations must highlight to employees the benefits and shared value of reskilling. It’s also important to offer training during work hours — 64% of businesses who do so entirely within paid work hours almost eliminate one of the biggest hurdles to participation. It demonstrates that your organization values employees’ time and your commitment to continuous growth. 

You may also want to consider incentives to reward those willing to learn and grow, and make it clear that reskilling is linked to new prospects or advancement within the company. This way, your employees will be more motivated to participate. 

7. Promote job shadowing
Job shadowing is an excellent way for employees to familiarize themselves with a new role within or across departments. Following and observing an experienced employee throughout their day gives an accurate portrayal of the job requirements.  In essence, job shadowing helps better prepare someone to take on a new position. Plus, it is a great reskilling method if you’re on a tighter budget.

8. Focus on digital skills
Companies that were forced to have employees work from home during the pandemic quickly learned how integral technology was to business and how vital adequate digital skills were. Digital advancement is an ongoing reality, so businesses must prepare their employees to adapt to new technologies. Reskilling in the age of AI is vital as more repetitive, admin-based tasks become automated and certain roles become obsolete. More roles focusing on managing AI technologies and analyzing data will emerge, as well as roles that primarily utilize human-centered skills such as creativity, empathy, and leadership. 

Effectively training the workforce in digital literacy and preparing them to use new tools will help organizations close the digital skills gap. Your reskilling program should prepare your workforce for the age of AI so that no one gets left behind.

9. Measure and evaluate success
Research shows that just 33% of companies measure their reskilling programs’ impact on business or HR-related outcomes, and although 42% report a positive ROI, 56% did not calculate or could not identify the ROI of their reskilling initiatives. Are your employees applying the new skills they’ve learned? Are they able to smoothly transition into new roles and perform at high levels? What is the return on investment of your reskilling programs, and do they make business sense? 

Measuring training effectiveness is essential and begins with determining relevant KPIs, collecting data from various sources (including surveys, discussions, and post-training assessments), and regularly assessing the data using an evaluation model.  The well-known Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Training Evaluation Model uses learners’ reactions and responses, knowledge and skills obtained, behavioral changes made, and the impact on business goals to measure the extent of a training program’s influence.  By measuring and evaluating your reskilling program, you can improve what’s not working, and determine if you have achieved your strategic objectives.

10. Encourage lifelong learning
Reskilling is an ongoing process, so your organization needs to foster a continuous learning culture. You can instill a knowledge-seeking mindset in your employees by encouraging them to embrace reskilling opportunities and showing them why this matters and how it benefits them and their careers.  Managers must buy into the value of reskilling, and they should actively participate in their own trainings. Make sure leadership understands the importance of developing their staff, so they will wholeheartedly promote your reskilling endeavors.

11. Don’t neglect your own skills
HR is changing rapidly too, so new skills are required to stay current. As an HR professional, you need to prioritize your own development, and embarking on a reskilling (and upskilling) program in your department is a great place to start.  Upgrading your abilities with advanced HR technologies, people analytics, data literacy, and business acumen will future-proof your skills, give you a competitive edge, and set you and your organization up for long-term success.

Page Update: September 21st 2025.
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