Upskilling and reskilling - support for self- development

Upskilling is improving one's skills and increasing one's competence in an area in which one already has experience. In practice, this can mean, for example, enrolling in an additional course, earning a certificate or even notifying an employer of your desire to work on more advanced projects. The word "upskilling" itself means "upgrading skills."

Reskilling is most easily translated as "retraining" or, more literally, "changing skills." It is a process aimed at gaining competence in an area in which we do not yet have experience, but in which, for some reason, we have decided to enter and start "from scratch." This process, unlike upskilling, does not mean development in our current industry, but rather re-branding. Reskilling is chosen by people who want to start working in a new profession, while abandoning their current one.

Upskilling and reskilling – who is it for?

According to the report "The State of Upskilling and Reskilling" compiled this year, as many as 71 percent of workers would like to update their skills more often, and 77 percent admitted that learning new skills gives them a sense of purpose. This shows that upskilling and reskilling is a real need for those active in the labor market. Who chooses upskilling? The reasons why professionals choose to upskill can vary, but most often they are related to the need to adapt to the current labor market situation. In a significant part of professions, increasing one's competence is necessary. We are especially talking about such industries that rely heavily on technology and digitization. In many cases, upskilling may be the only way to stay on the job market and not be overshadowed by your industry colleagues. However, this does not mean that the process of upskilling in one's profession always comes from a sense of compulsion or fear of change. Many employees decide to upskill due to a need for development, curiosity about a particular topic or a desire to receive a promotion and/or raise at work.

Reskilling, on the other hand, is attracting interest for slightly different reasons. Changes in the labor market, technological advances, automation - all of these factors can lead to a moment when we need to redefine our career plans and think about what steps to take in order not to find ourselves in a difficult situation. At that point, however, most people choose to upgrade their existing competencies - that is, upskilling. So when should we choose to reskill?

Certainly, there will be situations in which, for the reasons mentioned earlier, our profession will cease to exist (already or is ceasing to exist). While a specialist in a particular industry perceives a lack of demand for his or her work, he or she may want to completely change direction instead of becoming better and better at a dying profession.

The reasons can also be different and, as in the case of upskilling, have more to do with ambition and individual needs than with the job market situation. Many people choose to reskill due to professional burnout or simply the need to prove themselves in something completely different from what they've done before. Interestingly, in the report "The State of Upskilling and Reskilling," when asked "What motivates employees to upskill and reskill," the most common answer given was "Expanding knowledge and skills for personal development."

However, the decision to re-brand doesn't have to involve crossing out everything we've done so far and what we feel good at. It can mean moving into a related profession. Examples of reskilling with previous skills might include a painter learning graphic design or a mathematician trying his hand as a data analyst.

Upskilling and reskilling - taking care of your own well-being

We can consider the processes of skill improvement and reengineering not only as tools for professional development, but also as key factors in taking care of our wellbeing. Even if we don't currently feel insecure about our jobs, learning and developing skills are beneficial at any stage of life. Upskilling can be viewed as an investment for the future, in case changes in the labor market begin to affect our industry as well. Knowing that one is up to date with the prevailing trends and scope of knowledge gives us not only the prospect of promotion and better earnings, but also a sense of security and stability associated with employment.

However, the main reason why both upskilling and reskilling are directly related to well-being is more about ourselves and our mental health than the labor market situation. Prolonged lack of development can result in job burnout, loss of motivation or lowered self-esteem and confidence in one's abilities. According to research contained in the report "Employees in the world of development. Poles on Professional Development and Acquiring New Competencies at Work," as many as 59 percent of Poles would be willing to change their current employer for another that provides better development opportunities. Exactly the same percentage of respondents believe that "they would be in a better professional position now if they had greater access to training and courses earlier in their careers." This clearly shows that while personal motivations may vary, employees highly value self-improvement and acquiring new skills.

Gaining new skills in practice

How do you get started with upskilling or reskilling? There is no shortage of ways. Some of them we can organize on our own, but many of them should be able to be helped by our employer.

In order to further our education or learn a particular specialty from scratch, we can use online resources: courses, educational materials. It is also worthwhile to reach for books on topics of interest. With the right determination and a specific goal, you can also learn a lot on your own, although this is undoubtedly a more difficult path. Fortunately, upskilling and reskilling programs in workplaces are growing in popularity. Employers are realizing the benefits of supporting the development of their subordinates. These include reduced recruiting costs, increased employee engagement, reduced burnout, and easier access to specialists with the company's desired skills. Such initiatives are conducted in a variety of ways. Some of the most popular are providing staff with access to online training and subsidizing courses and certifications. The key, however, is to take a personalized approach to your employee. In practice, this could mean defining a career path, for example.

Clear rules about what is expected of the employee and what development opportunities are available to him or her are a win-win: they motivate performance and give a sense of a sincere and clear employer-employee relationship.

Mentoring, or why you should have support

When improving skills, a mentor can be an invaluable help. The knowledge we gain from mentoring complements everything we have learned from courses and books with practical experience. It is well known that real-world work can differ significantly from theory, forcing you to learn from your mistakes and develop your own paths and ways of working. A person who is willing to share his experience can help us go through this process much faster.

This is just one of the many advantages of mentoring. A good mentor will also support us in learning hard skills, help us set development goals, share constructive feedback, which will give us confidence in our strengths, and allow us to work on our weaknesses. A student-master relationship with someone who has spent much more time in the industry than us is also a great opportunity to expand your network.

Today's work culture is people-oriented. As a result, more and more workplaces are moving away from an atmosphere of distrust and rivalry, placing great importance on cooperation and a willingness to help others. It's worth keeping this in mind when upgrading your skills or reorganizing yourself, and be open to mentoring and networking, i.e. establishing business relationships.

How do you find a good mentor? It's best to look for one within your organization, or if that's not possible, expand your search to the industry you're interested in. For this purpose, you can use business events or online social media platforms. Before deciding to take this step, you should set your goals beforehand in front of yourself - later on, the mentor can help you clarify or expand them, but the initial assumptions are up to you.

It is also worth knowing what a "good mentor" actually means - such a person cannot become everyone who knows more than us and inspires us with his achievements. The most important thing is, of course, willingness, but also certain character traits and interpersonal skills, such as:

Empathy - before the mentor got to where he is now, he must have gone through a similar path, had similar experiences and probably made the same mistakes as well. He should not forget this. An empathetic person will also take into account the individual experiences, character traits and life situation of his mentee during the learning process.

A progressive approach - a mentor is supposed to help us develop, so the mentor himself must believe in development and be up to date with it. Taking teachings from someone who has been working in the same way for many years, doesn't believe in innovation and doesn't develop, can only do harm.

Self-criticism - the principle of "no one is perfect" also applies to mentors. A good mentor, when he or she makes a mistake, will admit it, and may even consider the situation as a common lesson.

Believing in your student - investing your time in someone whose development you do not believe in is a waste of both parties' time. This attitude is not difficult to sense. Very quickly both mentor and student would feel frustrated.

Presence and dependability - being someone's mentor is a big commitment, but also a privilege. A person who is realistically committed to our development and can be counted on deserves this title.