New skilling is serious business - how to build a future-ready workforce today

In my last article off the back of our recent research with the CIPD, I wrote about how workplace learning and development is needed now more than ever. Now, as I think about the workforce of tomorrow and the demands of business in a challenging labour market, I see L&D professionals using their creativity to look at both the digital and human skills that will be needed for the future of work and find ways to help workforces new skill ready for the future.

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Support your home team

As L&D budgets are tightened, learning professionals need support and encouragement from senior business and HR leaders when planning for the future, putting skills at the centre of that discussion. Our recent report with the CIPD shows there is currently a divide between those in leadership positions who want to reskill the workforce and those who are somewhat reluctant. And of course, due to the pandemic and lockdown situation collaboration through formal L&D programmes has fallen. However, for many this is a false economy, because for most roles it costs more to hire someone new, rather than new skill and motivate an existing colleague. Leaders need to get behind learning as a strategic lever for transforming the workforce and the business to perform today and ready for the future. This needs to be more than words – it needs prioritised investment in new skilling where it is needed most.

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Evidence matters

There’s increased hunger to demonstrate the impact of learning and development, but most organisations are not using the data and insights available to them, in order to inform the prioritisation and design of their learning investments. In fact, while 76% of organisations evaluate the impact of learning interventions in some way, only 26% design or make recommendations using evidence-informed principles to address the performance issue. To deliver the best business outcomes an end-of-course survey won’t cut it anymore. Evidence needs to permeate and inform every step of the decision-making process, demonstrating the value at stake and achieved as we new skill priority workforces.

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Continuous New Skilling Made Real

The rapidly evolving world of work and fast-changing technology demands an agile workforce that can continually re-skill and new skill. The good news is that 64% of firms reported that they’ve assessed which roles are changing and how to reskill employees. Some have done this to a deep level, thinking about how work and skills are being disrupted by factors such as new technologies, sustainability and industry convergence.

?We’re working with organisations to help them better target reskilling and hiring by using skills analytics. This involves identifying the skills required by future work and groups of people with the greatest propensity and interest to build new skills for future roles – or in the labour market with these skills already. But insight also needs action, so organisations need to respond with an emphasis on and a culture that supports continuous learning around future skill priorities and targeted new skilling pathways, rather than generic programmes.

?In this context, learning is not something we ‘occasionally go away to do’ – instead we learn all the time through our work, in the flow of work and with deeper, more immersive, and learning regularly, both individually as well as in our teams and networks. Learning for future skills needs to be available in clear pathways to build deep fluency in new skills and with opportunities for practice, coaching and reflection.

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Taking Action

As we emerge further from the Covid situation, every organisation is facing some common challenges: the new hybrid workplace, new technologies, the increasing need for sustainability and the return to growth. Against this backdrop, learning never stops and there are three practical actions leaders can take right now:

?1)?????Understand the skills required for the future of work in your business and that are mission critical for your business strategy and purpose.

2)?????Use these insights and make a clear plan for your people; work out who needs to reskill and when – and use this to start a positive and supportive dialogue with them.?

3)?????Put opportunities for reskilling, learning, and experiences back into the hands of your people – and invest in the content, access and experience they all need.

Now is the time to focus on your L&D strategy. What are you doing to build a future-ready workforce?

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You can read the full ‘Learning and skills at work’ report here.