Navigating the Future: Upskilling vs. Reskilling in the Ever-Changing Workforce Landscape
In the ever-evolving realm of technology, staying relevant is not just desirable — it’s imperative. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, 50% of all employees will require reskilling or upskilling due to the rapid adoption of advanced technologies. The tech industry, characterized by constant innovation, is particularly dynamic, demanding that professionals continuously enhance their skills to remain competitive.
In the landscape of the modern workplace, the terms “upskilling” and “reskilling” have gained prominence as strategies to retain talent and bridge skill gaps. These techniques are vital in ensuring a workforce’s agility, but understanding the differences between them is crucial for effective implementation.
Upskilling and Reskilling: What are they, and how are they different?
Upskilling, simply put, involves expanding existing skill sets. When an employee engages in learning activities to enhance their proficiency in their current role, it is considered upskilling. This process aims to propel individuals forward along their established career path.
Reskilling, on the other hand, ventures into the realm of acquiring entirely new skills, often adjacent to the employee’s current function. This can involve a lateral shift or even a transition to an entirely different career path. With the predicted transformation of 1.1 billion jobs in the next decade, reskilling is a proactive response to technological shifts. It demonstrates foresight, preventing layoffs, voluntary departures, and loss of morale. Reskilling ensures that employees are equipped with the skills required for emerging roles, addressing potential skill gaps in the organization.
While both approaches involve learning new skills, upskilling aims to enhance existing abilities, preparing employees for a changing market demand within their current roles. Reskilling, however, gears employees for different roles, acknowledging that their current skills might become obsolete. This strategic move, often driven by factors like the rise of artificial intelligence, involves training employees for entirely new career paths to maintain relevance.
Cross-Skilling for a Multi-Dimensional Workforce
Recognizing that certain skills are essential in the new world of work, businesses are now emphasizing cross-skilling. This involves developing a portfolio of skills valuable across multiple verticals, functions, or domains. Think of it as elongating the horizontal bar of the T-shaped talent model, where the vertical bar signifies the depth of skills, and the horizontal bar represents a range of skills. While upskilling lengthens the vertical base, reskilling shifts the vertical line entirely, and cross-skilling elongates the horizontal top of the T.
Why Upskilling in Tech is Essential?
Upskilling in the tech context involves the perpetual process of acquiring new technical skills or refining existing ones to align with the latest industry trends. Just as a house may need renovations to accommodate changing needs, tech professionals may need to upskill to adapt to new technologies, so they can stay relevant and competitive in the job market. Especially now that automation and artificial intelligence (AI) have revolutionized the tech industry, bringing unprecedented advancements and challenges.
Effective upskilling can yield tangible benefits, including increased job security, higher pay, and enhanced opportunities for career advancement. Continuous improvement in skills and knowledge positions tech professionals for success, enabling them to achieve their long-term career goals. To upskill effectively, tech professionals can leverage online courses, attend workshops and conferences, and join professional organizations. Networking within the industry is also crucial for upskilling — connections with colleagues, mentors, and industry leaders provide insights into emerging trends and valuable career opportunities.
Luckily, at deploy(impact), women++’s free software development program, participants can develop and improve skills through hands-on tech project experience and guided mentorship in a team with like-minded professionals. Read more here.
In conclusion, talent development through upskilling and reskilling is not just a response to market demands; it is a strategic investment in the future. Without continual learning opportunities, both workers and the organizations that employ them risk becoming obsolete in a rapidly evolving world. As businesses plan for shifts in talent needs, upskilling and reskilling stand as indispensable tools in shaping a resilient and thriving workforce.
Sources: Forbes, Gloat, HeyDevs Vietnam, LinkedIn Learnings, Trivie, World Economic Forum
About the author:
Eszter Rosta is a Social Media & Marketing Manager at women++. She is a creative and dedicated storyteller with good organizational skills. She’s passionate about digital marketing, writing and traveling. She likes working in a team just as much as getting tasks she can work on independently. She’s gained various experiences in different roles and countries before, and it looks like she found her place in the marketing industry in Switzerland.
→ Learn more about deploy(impact)
→ Follow women++ on X / Twitter
→ Follow women++ on LinkedIn
→ Follow women++ on Instagram
→ Subscribe to women++ NL to stay up-to-date with our latest tech workshops and events.
