5 Ways to Upskill your Workforce

Conventionally, the process of determining workers' qualifications can be related to characteristics such as education and work experience. In the workplace, for example, skill gradations for professionals performing work tasks consist of grades. They are assigned according to the length of service, professional merit, and practical and theoretical training.

But how can the employer ensure that his employees improve their qualifications or even be completely reclassified, for example, to be transferred to another department. In this article, we look at the 5 possible ways of upgrading or retraining employees.

The determination of the need for upgrading or retraining

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The first step is to identify the need for professional development. This should be done at both the company level and the department level. This need may arise when the company plans to start up new plants or upgrade existing plants. Also at the company level, the need for skills development may arise from plans to increase the number of jobs or add new products to the product line. The need may also be identified through appraisals or an employee's personal career ambitions.

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5 Ways of Training/Upskilling

The choice of the right method depends on the type of training that will be offered. In this way, select appropriate training materials, tools, equipment, supplies, and facilities.

Methods for on-the-job training:

• Instruction: This method is usually used when a person starts a new job. Even if the person is qualified for the job, the worker should still be instructed because the new company has its own specifics.
• Rotation: The periodic movement of workers from one job to another. The gradual acquisition of new knowledge and skills occurs without interruption of the main production tasks. Individuals effectively learn the specifics and intricacies of the work processes within the company structure.
• Assessments: This method applies when an individual is being prepared for a management position in the unit where he or she performs production tasks. As a result, management skills are gradually improved. The effectiveness of this method is that the person becomes familiar with the operations of the business unit as he or she moves up to a management position.
• Coaching: A lengthy process to build a long-term relationship between mentor and mentee. The use of this method is efficient when even skilled workers need a lot of specific knowledge to adapt. This can be important in complex and high-tech industries.
• Project teams: Real projects involve people who do not have sufficient skills and knowledge to accomplish all the tasks of the project. Through cooperation and delegation, interactive learning and the acquisition of the necessary skills and knowledge takes place

The methods listed are applicable and easy to implement in a given company. They are mainly practical in nature and have little need for theoretical immersion outside the organization.

Takeaway

It is not difficult to retrain or upskill an employee. It is just a matter of recognizing the right time and selecting a suitable method. Of course, the employee's willingness plays an important role, because if the employee is not willing to pursue retraining or higher qualification, it will not make sense from a business point of view to train and higher qualify the employee. For this reason, a discussion between the employer and the employee is unavoidable if retraining or further training is pending. Likewise, such measures should best be stipulated in the employment contract.