Upskilling, designed mainly for those already on the job, is the process of teaching employees new or additional skills. Upskilling, or reskilling, traditionally costs less than replacing employees with skilled new employees. With an expensive price tag and high stakes, upskilling has surged across organizations worldwide thanks to digital transformation. Several influences have caused this massive upskilling, including:

• Technology is now an fundamental part of many jobs. Additional training is needed to ensure that employees are productive
• Technology is rapidly changing. There is a rush to ensure skills are current to meet these technology shifts
• Digital skill gaps exist for some new employees. Many educational systems do not provide proper training for the skills necessary in today’s workforce
• Other skills are needed to support productivity and efficiency

 
This session will describe the comprehensive planning, design, and execution needed for upskilling. The challenge is to ensure that all components work seamlessly to generate positive results. Taking a systematic approach will allow you to successfully show the value that upskilling has delivered to the organization.
 
Objectives
After attending this session, participants should be able to:

1. Describe the need for upskilling
2. Identify the approaches for upskilling
3. Take steps to make upskilling focused and successful
4. Show the value of the upskilling project

 

Jack has been recognized and awarded for his work by numerous professional organizations. He, along with his business partner and wife, Patti Phillips, received the 2024 Thought Leader Award from the Association of Learning Providers (ISA), the 2022 Association for Talent Development (ATD) Thought Leader Award, and the 2019 Center for Talent Reporting Distinguished Contributor Award. In 2019, he was named among the top fifty coaches globally by the Thinkers50 organization and named a finalist for the Marshall Goldsmith Distinguished Achievement Award for Coaching. SHRM presented Jack with its highest creativity award for an ROI study and awarded an ROI Institute book with a best book award. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Fortune magazine, and he has been interviewed by several television programs, including CNN.