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Click\u00a0here<\/a> to view our 2024 Research on the State of Upskilling and Reskilling<\/strong>.<\/em> In late 2019, the World Economic Forum<\/a> issued an alert. Lack of skills was keeping CEOs awake at night. The only way to bridge the skills gap is through upskilling or reskilling programs.<\/p>\n As a result, we joined forces with hiring experts Workable<\/a><\/em> and Training Journal<\/a><\/em>, to shed light on the current state of reskilling and upskilling training<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Our key findings include:<\/strong><\/p>\n First, we asked companies whether they have ever provided their employees with reskilling or upskilling training. Luckily, 92% of respondents say they have.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n TalentLMS, Training Journal, and Workable surveyed 282 training and hiring managers, C-level executives, and decision-makers in various companies to see why they decided to reskill or upskill their workforce and how beneficial it\u2019s been to business. Then, we reached out to 400 full-time employees in the US between the ages of 18 and 54+ to ask them about their employers\u2019 upskilling and reskilling training initiatives.<\/p>\n When we rolled out the survey, the coronavirus outbreak had already become part of the world\u2019s everyday life. So, we had to address the situation.<\/p>\n During lockdown, 43% of employers figured it was the perfect time to expand their teams\u2019 skill sets<\/strong> with more courses and training material:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n “In this collective time, companies across industries, no matter their size or needs, moved their training online to keep going. Not all companies indeed assigned more courses after the coronavirus outbreak, but they definitely will in the future since all their existing offline training is, for the most part, officially online. We’re entering a period where online training is not another solution but the only way to go. Employers like it, employees love it, and it gets you geared up for the unexpected. So what could go wrong?”<\/em> says Eleftheria Papatheodorou<\/strong>, Customer Support and Training Director at TalentLMS.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t a one-way street.<\/strong> When we asked employees whether they pursued training in addition to what their employer had provided them since the coronavirus outbreak, 42% said yes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n What\u2019s interesting is that 27% of employees did not receive any upskilling\/reskilling training from their employers. And from that group 65% sought out training on their own. The majority looked for online courses that would help them develop soft and hard skills<\/a> related to their current role. In a time of uncertainty, 21% looked for upskilling courses that would help them get promoted.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As you’ll notice, the need to advance or get a promotion came up often in the survey, and it is one of the top motivators for employees.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We now know that 93% of employers offer upskilling, reskilling, or both. So, how do they do it?<\/strong><\/p>\n Although reskilling and upskilling training are considered important, only 35% of employers have an official upskilling\/reskilling program in place<\/strong> with the majority (65%) delivering it on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About training costs, 33% of employers say their upskilling\/reskilling training budget is part of their overall training costs<\/strong> while another 30% say that they don\u2019t have a specific budget for upskilling or reskilling. Also, another 12% say they do have set a budget but it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n What we should keep in mind, though, is that the vast majority (87%) of the companies have in-house teams to design their training material for their upskilling and reskilling initiative. With the trend of employee reskilling and upskilling training gaining momentum, new roles in the corporate L&D industry might as well emerge.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And as far as training delivery is concerned, blended learning<\/a> is the most common delivery method<\/strong> with 69% of employers delivering reskilling and upskilling training both online and offline.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When employers were asked to pick the top three challenges they faced while developing their upskilling\/reskilling initiative, more than half of them (55%) ranked \u201clack of time\u201d first, and 46% also said that finding suitable training resources was a big concern.<\/p>\n What\u2019s interesting though is that 19% faced resistance from upper management<\/strong> and another 18% had a hard time getting their employees to believe in the initiative.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We asked managers to pick the top reasons why they felt the need to upskill or reskill their workforce.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These responses suggest that employers see training as a benefit and an important factor that is advantageous to the overall company culture<\/strong>. But in addition to that, reasons that have to do mostly with skills development and changes within the organization (i.e., promotions), also play an important part. These skills can be either hard or soft.<\/p>\n In fact, 50% of employers target both hard and soft skills<\/strong>. Thirty percent train on soft skills exclusively, and the remaining 20% target hard skills.<\/p>\n Companies value not only hard skills, but also soft skills. We asked managers what skills they’re looking for when making hiring decisions. And the higher an employee climbs the corporate ladder, the more soft skills employers require.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now that we know what companies expect from new hires, we need to see what soft skills<\/a> they expect from their current workforce to develop. The graph below shows what skills employers believe that their teams are lacking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n All in all, an employee training program can only benefit companies. This is why the majority of employers say that upskilling and reskilling training has improved performance, employee retention, goals, and company reputation.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In an attempt to measure their employees\u2019 satisfaction with training, 72% of companies say they ask their learners to evaluate their program<\/a>, and 51% believe their employees like it. However, another 26% state that their employees would like their upskilling\/reskilling training if they had the time<\/em> to take it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But what are employees saying?<\/strong> Let\u2019s find out next.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In general, employers seem to be doing a good job since 78% of employees say they\u2019re satisfied or very satisfied with their upskilling\/reskilling training<\/strong>. At the same time, another 70% are satisfied with the amount of reskilling and upskilling training their employers provide them with.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, 27% of employees say their employer has provided neither upskilling nor reskilling training in the past 5 years of their careers. From those employees, 80% say they\u2019ve never asked for any upskilling or reskilling<\/strong>, either.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhile it’s very encouraging to see that 92% of the companies surveyed are engaged in either upskilling or reskilling their workforce, when you couple that with the fact that 80% of employees have never asked for training, it’s clear that businesses need to do much more to empower their employees to learn. Some good signs, but more work to do,\u201d<\/em> says Jon Kennard<\/strong>, Digital Editor at Training Journal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Clearly, businesses need to ask their employees whether they\u2019d like more training opportunities<\/strong>, since 74% of those who haven\u2019t received any upskilling\/reskilling training would prefer to work for a company that offers upskilling or reskilling opportunities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also, employees seem to prefer online training against offline<\/strong>. 6 in 10 employees say they prefer to complete their training through online upskilling courses, webinars, virtual sessions, and other online training means.<\/p>\n But in terms of the reasons why employees want to acquire new or additional skills, the most recurring answer was promotion and advancement within the company they work for.<\/p>\n We asked employees what type of skills would help them advance the most as professionals, and 66% chose \u201chard skills\u201d against \u201csoft skills.\u201d At the same time:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The graph above proves that employees see upskilling and reskilling training as a means of advancement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n But when we asked about the actual, tangible benefits that their upskilling\/reskilling training has come with, only 33% say that they\u2019ve noticed significant change in compensation<\/strong> and 35% experienced significant growth within their company.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previously, managers said that the top three soft skills employees are lacking are communication\/collaboration, leadership<\/a>, and proactive thinking. But what do employees think of their co-workers?<\/strong> Interestingly enough, they agree.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Apparently, managers might have missed empathy and creativity<\/strong>, which according to employees are two essential skills their co-workers are lacking.<\/p>\n Upskilling, however, can also be beneficial to managerial positions. When employees were asked about their managers\u2019 skills<\/strong>, and if they would provide them with upskilling or reskilling training if they had the chance, this happened:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen you find that 74% of employees think their managers need training, that indicates the need for upskilling and reskilling as part of a more holistic employee development strategy. When your employee base feels they’re growing in your company and that everyone is growing with them, that is one of the most powerful tools you can promote in your candidate attraction strategy,”<\/em> Keith MacKenzie<\/strong>, Workable’s Content Strategy Manager, says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surprisingly, though, employees believe that the skills their co-workers are lacking are the skills they, themselves, excel in<\/strong>. Also, even though managers ranked leadership<\/strong><\/a> as the second most wanted skill their teams are missing, employees believe it\u2019s the top skill they\u2019ve already mastered.<\/p>\n
\nPlus, get 10 data-backed tactics to amp up your skilling initiatives, along with insights from 5 L&D experts.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n
![\"Survey](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/talentlms-tj-workable_logos.png\" "\\"Employee")
<\/p>\n![\"92%](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_1.png\" "\\"Companies")
<\/p>\nHow we did it<\/h3>\n
Employee reskilling and upskilling training in the COVID-19 era<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Employee](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/upskilling_training_covid-19.png\" "\\"Employee")
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<\/p>\n![\"Employees](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_4.png\" "\\"What")
<\/p>\n<\/h2>\nUpskilling and reskilling training: What do employers say?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Formal programs vs. Ad hoc<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Companies](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_5.png\" "\\"Do")
<\/p>\nTraining costs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Course creators<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Employers](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_6.png\" "\\"Who")
<\/p>\nTraining delivery<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"70%](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_7.png\" "\\"How")
<\/p>\nLack of time and limited resources: The two main barriers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Lack](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_8.png\" "\\"Challenges")
<\/p>\nEmployee upskilling & reskilling training: A matter of culture and skills development<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Training](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_9.png\" "\\"Why")
<\/p>\nVertical mobility and the need for soft skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_10.png\" "\\"What")
<\/p>\n![\"According](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_11.png\" "\\"What")
<\/p>\nWorkforce upskilling and reskilling training: Is it worth it?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"According](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_12.png\" "\\"Is")
<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_13.png\" "\\"Employee")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nEmployee reskilling and upskilling training: Companies almost<\/em> on the right track<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Employees](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_14.png\" "\\"Do")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_15.png\" "\\"Would")
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Employee upskilling and reskilling: A matter of advancement<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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![\"Employees](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_16.png\" "\\"What")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_17.png\" "\\"The")
<\/p>\nSkills gaps: Employees vs. employers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Skills](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_18.png\" "\\"What")
<\/p>\n![\"Reskilling](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_19.png\" "\\"Employees")
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![\"Employees](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Reskilling_Upskilling_Training-Chart_20.png\" "\\"What")
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