You might be upskilling all wrong—Here’s how to actually get workers to retrain for the future

The AI revolution has begun, and businesses are rapidly integrating the technology into their daily operations. Some companies have openly admitted that those changes have led to hiring freezes, and many employees have been left wondering how they can gain the skills of the future to avoid getting left behind. 

That anxiety has helped give rise to a new corporate obsession: upskilling, the idea that companies should teach their staff new skills outside their current capabilities. A majority of workers want learning opportunities from their employers, and bosses want reskilling, too—it creates a modernized workforce. 

But companies are struggling to figure out how to retrain their workers. Only around 50% of companies attempting to implement large-scale upskilling programs in 2024 had activated those initiatives, according to a new report from LinkedIn. Around 41% were still in the planning stage, and just 4% were at a point where they could measure any progress. 

One-size-fits-all programs designed to train thousands of employees at once are ambitious, but slow-moving and non-specific to individual needs, Stephanie Conway, director of talent development at LinkedIn, tells Coins2Day. Instead of solely funneling efforts into rolling out these big endeavors, she says that companies should also focus on the specific potential career paths of individual workers. 

Conway says that when it comes to upskilling, employers should take a two-pronged strategy. Companies should give employees specific ways that they can obtain technical skills, which could include internal training sessions or outsourcing through external learning platforms. They also need to develop a skills-based infrastructure within the organization at large—valuing and redefining talent based on skills instead of just resumes or education level. That clarity about which skills apply to which jobs offers a path for a worker to travel from one role to another.

“You know what is expected and what you need to learn, because the skills have been mapped,” Conway says. 

With a solid idea of what training is needed, it’s then up to workers to create a game plan with their bosses on how they want to educate themselves, and which skills they should focus on. That, says Conway, comes down to “a conversation with your manager.”

Emma Burleigh
[email protected]
@EmmaBurleigh1

Around the Table

A round-up of the most important HR headlines.

DEI lawyers have experienced a surge of audit requests amid the backlash against diversity initiatives. Bloomberg

Employers are pulling on back weight loss drugs as an employee benefit, saying they can’t keep up with high costs. Wall Street Journal

The global gender gap is very real—and there isn’t a single country in the world that gives equal opportunity to both men and women. Guardian

U.S. Businesses are suing over President Biden’s gig worker protections as they attempt to stop independent contractors from being treated as employees. Washington Post

Watercooler

Everything you need to know from Coins2Day .

Feeling low. Young millennial and Gen Z employees are growing increasingly detached from their jobs and employers. But their boomer coworkers are more engaged than ever. —Jane Thier

Clothes for change. North Face is offering customers 20% off their purchase if they attend a racial inclusion class, in an effort to bring awareness to racial privilege in accessing outdoor activities. —Orianna Rosa Royle

Elon’s crusade. The National Labor Relations Board hearing for SpaceX began yesterday. The company is fighting accusations that it wrongfully terminated employees who criticized owner Elon Musk . —Jessica Mathews