Top 10 Methods for Skills Development and Upskilling

Some of the key upskilling trends in 2024 most certainly include data literacy and AI fluency, hybrid skill sets, sustainability and green skills, emotional intelligence training, and Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR).

The lockdowns and uncertainties that the COVID-19 pandemic brought along are yet to account in full for the arrested developments across the corporate sector and others in terms of skills development and upskilling, and even reskilling where viable and favorable. Employees had begun to exit the corporate arena unnoticed to most during the silent resignation, which had begun around the 2000s. The trend became more prominent in the United States in 2020, and continued in other countries, thereafter, ultimately gaining the title of ‘the Great Resignation’ as increasingly more individuals opted for voluntary mass resignation from the workforce due to varying reasons and causes.

The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in numerous companies introducing new norms and work processes, leading to drastic changes, approaches, and needs, with employees being required to gain additional skills and nurture relevant ones to fit into a familiar workplace that was rapidly evolving all of a sudden. This caused some level of insecurity, stress, anxiety, and loss of confidence among those employees who held on during the worst of the unrelenting episodes, but at the same time brought about the realization that changes with regards to skills was crucial to weathering the looming storm and securing positions for the long term. Sudden and mass layoffs that followed only served to further drive a sense of doom and loss of confidence among the workforce, and stress levels were further heightened as companies resorted to cutting costs through reduced pay, shuffling existing workforce internally, increasing expectations from existing employees by sourcing new and more capable or enhanced talent or individuals with unique skills sets, driving high benchmarks and competition levels on short notice, and all to enable better functioning and recover as well as adapt to new normal scenarios in various sectors and industries. 

Start of New Normal and Entry Into Unknown Arenas for the Unprepared

A sizable number of companies opted to make all-out or somewhat desperate dives into a tech-driven scenario that was emerging as Artificial Intelligence (AI) began to make waves across the globe. Companies also resorted to layoffs as a means to prepare for a potential economic recession, inflation, supply chain challenges, trend towards automation, which also has begun to make many jobs redundant, especially in IT. A number of companies also had opted to wait it out or manage it until the period passed, but the unexpected and continued circumstances resulted in mass closure and revenue losses culminating in loss of employment and other unforeseeable issues. 

While the 2021 through 2022 phase was rather unsettling or unnerving, the trends have somewhat evolved to accommodate new requirements and some sense of normalcy began to emerge among the global workforce mid-2023. However, some worrisome trends in the information sector remain at the fore, but experts opine that widespread layoffs throughout the labor market are not likely to happen anytime soon under current conditions. This could be attributed to 2023 being a very different period and companies had evolved or opted to use trial and error methods and solutions earlier on to remain afloat or to leverage emerging technologies and approaches to get ahead of the game. One major strategy observed was adopting solutions that enabled employees to develop latent skills and also upskill for better performance and to bring added value to the company.

Adding Value to Old Skills & Gaining New Skills to Serve Well in New Avenues 

With skills, talent, skills development, upskilling, and agile talent management being among the top buzzwords all through 2023, the workforce has been on a pin cushion of sorts as more pressure mounts on job seekers and employed individuals alike to land or retain a job as applicable. It would be wise to be well-aware of some key trends for skills development and upskilling in 2024, and soft skills, though not something new, is expected to remain a must-have to get ahead in the highly competitive job market. Strategic thinking, negotiation, persuasion, presentation skills, critical thinking, mentoring, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), and innovation are some soft skills that can add much value to a CV. 

Some of the key upskilling trends in 2024 most certainly include data literacy and AI fluency, hybrid skill sets, sustainability and green skills, emotional intelligence training, and Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR). Employees would also do well to add value to their CV by including digital skills, personalized learning paths, gamification and immersive learning, lifelong learning platforms, data-driven skill assessments, flexible learning formats, inclusive reskilling initiatives under learning & development.

Everything Counts in Today’s Fast Evolving Tech-Driven World 

While employees have a number of options to bring more than ever before to the table when applying for employment in the current age or era, training and developing existing skills, or otherwise simply ‘upskilling’ is a better approach to produce best results on the frontline. Many employees are currently undertaking learning to expand their existing skill set, and this approach is known as upskilling. Such additional skills enhance worker performance in a current role and serve to potentially advance them along their career path. 

Upskilling has and remains a crucial strategy for companies to equip their employees with the digital skills and competencies required to be future-proofed. With upskilling, the playing field becomes a little more accommodating as the approach depends on what needs to be upskilled in an employee to suit the specific need, and what is feasible from the perspective of the organization as well as the employee concerned. 

Ten simple but successful methods with continuous or regular fortification for developing skills are provided below:

• Providing or scheduling training can aid employees in better understand their responsibilities and exploring and nurturing the specific skills they require most on the job ahead, and also can address skill gaps that may slow down progress along the career path
• Mentoring, but not micromanaging, serves rather well to develop and maintain a positive workplace culture, increase diversity and inclusion, and reduce turnover
• Communication skills are among the top-most soft skills in demand in any company, and encouraging effective communication can help build a sense of trust and loyalty 
• Employee development assessments are also crucial as this aids in identifying strengths, exposes potential growth areas, and can help to create custom development roadmaps and learning content
• Enabling ability for conflict resolution is a behavioral skill that if nurtured can serve to aid employees in being aware of potential problems, and facilitate more positivity, teamwork, and collaboration
• Providing robust employee training and supporting continuous development is proving to aid in a company becoming more competitive and popular
• Having the proper knowledge and capability to assess existing workforce skills and decide responsibly who best fits the requisites for upskilling, without bias or external or internal pressure, serve to build trust, boost confidence, and also alleviates potential of negative considerations among others among teams
• Identifying knowledge gaps is another important ability to have when assessing an employee or individual as incorrect or inaccurate assessment can cause potential distress
• Determining upskilling goals and providing transparent and accurate insights and relevant outcomes is also crucial to making the exercise count
• Choose the right candidates for upskilling based on merit, personal interests, enthusiasm, dedication, accurate and practical assessment, and attitude to attain expected or positive outcomes   

Some other methods that are proving to be beneficial and advantageous include providing employees professional development opportunities, enabling participation in internship programs, hosting company-wide training initiatives, encouraging collaboration via team projects, developing a succession plan, and allowing adequate learning time on the job, among others. Outcomes of studies and survey results have been proving time-and-again that an employee who is presented with regular opportunities to learn, develop skills, and advance through upskilling is more likely to exhibit high level of loyalty and stay with the company significantly longer than those who are not.