Upskilling and Reskilling Examples

There’s little doubt the ways of work are changing—and they show no signs of slowing down. Advances in technology are driving rapid changes across nearly every field and industry. The skills needed to be successful in today’s world of work are different than they were 10 years ago, and they’ll be different 10 years from now, too. And with the speed of technological change, even 10-year increments can feel too long to be used as tools of measurement.

For employees, this new reality can be understandably unnerving. They may worry how to keep their skills relevant as their companies respond strategically to these shifts, and their roles evolve around them. They may also feel unprepared for the evolution of work—and their future place in it. In fact, a Workplace Intelligence study from 2022 found that upskilling is a concern for employees. The survey showed that 78% of workers feel they lack the skills, and 71% are worried about their education holding them back from getting ahead. Furthermore, 70% of respondents expressed feeling unprepared for the evolving workplace.

The good news? Companies can help ease these concerns by offering opportunities to advance existing skills, such as through employee upskilling—and to build new ones. Doing so has many upsides: not only can companies build a workforce that’s better prepared for the future; they can also build loyalty by showing employees their development is a priority.   

What is reskilling and upskilling?

Reskilling and upskilling both relate to advancing one’s skills and knowledge, but they aren’t one and the same. 

Reskilling describes the process of developing new skills and knowledge to transition into a new job or career. Upskilling, on the other hand, describes the process of building on existing skills and knowledge to advance or gain confidence in one’s current job or career. Reskilling and upskilling may sound like HR buzzwords, but in reality, they’re essential components of preparing the workforce with the skills of the future. And it’s not just companies that find reskilling and upskilling to be essential—employees are asking for these opportunities, too. Nearly three quarters of employees who say their employers do not provide upskilling opportunities also say they would pursue them if provided. Companies that fail to make strategic investments in developing their workforce risk being left behind by those that do. 

Reskilling and upskilling meaning: Reskilling is all about developing new skills that help you transition into a new job or career path. Upskilling is about advancing your existing skills to grow in your current job or career path.  

What is the difference between reskilling and upskilling? 

The difference between upskilling and reskilling centers on the intention behind acquiring new skills. If someone develops new skills and knowledge with the goal of changing careers, they’re reskilling. If someone builds on the skills and knowledge they already have to advance or become more expert in their current career, they’re upskilling. 

If you’re considering whether to reskill vs upskill employees at your organization, consider your goals. If you wish for employees to remain in their current roles while deepening their skills and abilities, then an upskilling program would be most fitting to offer. If you were instead looking to transition employees from one functional area to another, then you’d be better primed to develop a reskilling program. Some companies offer both—giving employees opportunities to deepen their existing skills or to cross-train in different areas altogether. 

What is an example of upskilling?

Someone with a T-shaped skill set has a mix of both general and expert skills and abilities. The top line of the T represents their general skills across different functional areas—meaning that they have a wide breadth of cross-functional skills—while the vertical line of the T represents their domain expertise. The vertical line is longer, showing that their specific expertise goes even deeper than their general knowledge. 

When someone upskills, they’re often deepening this vertical line and adding to their existing well of knowledge to build up even more domain expertise. Here are a few upskilling examples that show ways people can deepen their expertise: 

• A librarian earns a certification on early childhood literacy then applies for an open position as head children’s librarian at his library. 
• A corporate accountant studies for and takes an exam to certify her skills in strategic planning and analysis, which helps earn her a promotion to a more strategic senior level role. 
• An associate product manager enrolls in a master’s degree in product development program, hoping to expand his theoretical knowledge and build up her skills as part of a long-term professional development plan. 

What is an example of reskilling? 

Reskilling happens when someone learns new skills to move into a new job or career path. This can be driven by an individual—someone who, after reflecting on their goals, passions, and career path, chooses to make a life change. 

But it can also be driven by an organization. Some organizations will opt to reskill employees in response to changes within the organization or in the industry at large. This can not only lead to greater employee retention; it can be more cost effective for organizations. And 79% of L&D pros agree: It’s less expensive to reskill a current employee than to hire a new one.

Here are some reskilling examples, some of which are driven by individual employees and others by organizations: 

• After being laid off from a tech company, a marketing copywriter decides to pivot and pay for a certificate course in technical writing. He overhauls his portfolio to showcase technical writing samples and lands a new job writing technical hardware manuals for a defense contractor.
• A large insurance company is migrating to a new customer relationship management system. Because the project is so foundational to the success of its strategic plan, the company diverts resources from other departments to support the high-priority implementation. Employees are pulled from teams across the company and trained to support the migration process, which takes over a year to complete.
• After sustaining an injury that makes her job too painful to continue, a fitness instructor retrains to become a real estate agent, which allows her to apply her people skills to a brand new field that’s less physically demanding.
• A telecom company that’s struggling to fill data analytics positions partners with a workforce benefits provider to provide employees with tuition assistance to study data analytics. Employees from across the company are eligible to apply for the program even if their current role has nothing to do with data analytics. Those who successfully complete their course of study are guaranteed an entry-level data analytics position, which for many existing employees constitutes a significant pay increase.
• A logistics company launches an apprenticeship program to train warehouse employees on reliability engineering, an area they’ve found difficult to hire for. The program helps the company fill a skills gap, while apprentices are happy to develop new skills and earn a guaranteed pay bump. 

What is upskilling in the workplace?

Upskilling in the workplace refers to the process through which employees deepen their existing skills and knowledge to grow their expertise in their current roles. This can take many shapes from enrolling in a relevant degree program or certificate course to attending an industry conference. 

Motivated employees may undertake these upskilling efforts on their own, but such efforts are more commonly directed by employers through formal upskilling programs. These programs are a win-win, helping employees future-proof their skills and organizations to remain competitive. 

More workplaces than not offer some kind of upskilling to employees, as evidenced by a recent survey, in which 74% of U.S.-based full-time employees report their current employer provides and/or supports opportunities for upskilling, such as tuition benefits, in-house trainings or third-party conferences and seminars.

Why upskilling and reskilling is important

Upskilling and reskilling are important for a number of reasons. For one, many employees worry they don’t have the skills needed to grow in their current roles. Half of full-time employees in the U.S. are concerned about gaining the skills they need to advance at their current job.

On top of that, employees are increasingly expecting employers to provide them a means to gain those skills. A recent survey found that most employees (91%) believe employers should be investing in their continued education.

And when companies do offer these benefits to employees, they get more than just a future-proofed workforce; they’re also more likely to retain those employees. According to a 2022 survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and TalentLMS, 76% of employees say they are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training.

Providing ways to upskill and reskill can help not only with talent retention; it can help with talent attraction as well. A 2022 survey by Amazon and Workplace Intelligence found that employee development is key for attracting talent. Nearly 90% of respondents said strong skills development programs (87%), ample career advancement opportunities (88%), and paths to different career tracks (87%) were important when considering a new job.

What is an upskilling strategy?

An upskilling strategy lays out how an organization plans to address skills gaps through employee training and development. These strategies are often developed by HR and/or L&D teams who are responsible for:

• Identifying skills gaps amongst the organization’s workforce
• Adopting upskilling programs tailored to the needs of the organization
• Administering the programs day to day
• Ensuring employees are aware of (and taking advantage of) upskilling benefits
• Measuring and assessing the impact and efficacy of upskilling initiatives 
• Monitoring and modifying the benefits based on employee feedback and data

Given the importance of continuous learning to organizational success, upskilling and reskilling in HR are essential functions that human resource teams must treat as a high organizational priority. Not only do such initiatives show a commitment to helping employees grow—they also show that you’re invested in helping employees gain the skills they need to succeed in the new world of work.

How do you upskill and reskill employees?

There are many different ways to upskill and reskill employees, and what works best for an organization when it comes to developing its workforce will depend on its strategic goals and the particular skills it needs to develop. 

That said, when it comes to reskilling and upskilling for a future ready workforce, there are some training and development methods that work well for organizations of all sizes across varied industries. One such method is offering education benefits, which provides tuition assistance to employees to pursue anything from microcredentials to degrees. 

Some employees may be looking for a certificate or certification to stay up-to-date on industry changes while others may want to get a full-fledged degree. People at all levels of educational attainment take advantage of tuition assistance; someone with a GED may use their tuition benefits to go for their associate’s degree, while someone who has a bachelor’s degree may put their benefits toward finally going for that MBA. According to the Workforce Edge Learner Survey 2024, 60% of Workforce Edge users surveyed believe going back to school with their education benefits has helped them apply skills they learned to their job.

Upskilling and reskilling programs often include education benefits, as such benefits offer employees access to a range of industry-relevant credentials from accredited educational institutions. Employees can access these educational opportunities to build on their existing skills or to retrain in areas where they or the company have skills gaps. 

When employees upskill or reskill, they’re making an investment in their future—one that pays dividends for them and their employer alike by developing the skills needed to be successful in the changing world of work. 

Starting or optimizing an upskilling or reskilling program of your own doesn’t have to be as daunting as it may seem. To learn how Workforce Edge’s solutions can boost your employees’ skills and build your future-ready workforce, reach out to start a conversation.