Reskilling and Upskilling: Differences, Importance, and HR’s Role
Plugging skills gaps is a key HR priority — and workers understand its importance. In fact, 80% of employees want employers to invest more in reskilling and upskilling. Is your organization doing enough, or losing out on its workforce’s potential?
Reskilling and upskilling are essential for workforce survival in a tech-driven economy. 85% of employers plan to prioritize upskilling their workforce by 2030, while 59% of workers will need some form of training to stay relevant. The future of work depends not just on hiring new talent but also on transforming existing teams to meet emerging demands.
This article discusses what reskilling and upskilling entail, why you, as an HR professional, should focus on them, and how you can reskill and upskill both yourself and your workforce.
Contents
What are reskilling and upskilling?
Why HR should focus on reskilling and upskilling
The challenges of reskilling and upskilling
Reskilling and upskilling: Practical examples
How HR professionals can reskill and upskill in their profession
6 steps to successfully facilitate reskilling and upskilling
HR tools for reskilling and upskilling
Reskilling and upskilling amid the rise of AI
What are reskilling and upskilling?
Reskilling involves learning new skills for a completely different role, while upskilling entails learning new skills to improve in the same job or take on new responsibilities. Both are crucial as workplaces adapt to automation, digital change, and new business models.
Companies that focus on reskilling and upskilling stay agile, helping employees build confidence and advance their careers. Additionally, when given opportunities to build new skills, employees gain confidence, become more engaged, and have more chances to advance their careers.
Here are the key differences between reskilling and upskilling:
Purpose
Train for a different job.
Improve skills in your current job.
Outcome
Career shift or redeployment.
Higher performance or new responsibilities.
Trigger
Role redundancy, new business needs.
Tech upgrades, evolving job expectations.
Who’s involved
Employees in at-risk roles or those looking to change their careers.
Employees who will stay in their current roles but need to adapt to new demands.
Training
New certifications, cross-training, and boot camps for different skills.
On-the-job training, workshops, advanced tools, or software use.
Why HR should focus on reskilling and upskilling
There are several reasons HR should focus on reskilling and upskilling at their organizations, such as:
- Addressing skills gaps quickly: By reskilling and upskilling, you can respond faster to changing business needs, ensuring the workforce adapts to new demands.
- Strengthening HR’s strategic role: Reskilling and upskilling help align talent with company goals, driving performance, growth, and digital transformation.
- Leading by example: Continuous HR upskilling in areas like data analytics, digital tools, and AI allows you to set a good example and build a learning culture.
- Promoting from within: A solid upskilling and reskilling strategy helps identify top performers and boosts internal mobility, increasing retention and engagement.
- Building HR’s credibility: Reskilling and upskilling produce measurable results. Using data to show improvements in turnover, productivity, or time-to-fill reinforces HR’s value.
- Reducing reliance on recruitment: Developing internal talent saves time and money compared to hiring externally and also increases alignment with company values.
The challenges of reskilling and upskilling
While it’s important to develop extensive reskilling and upskilling strategies, you should also be aware of their challenges. These include:
- Time and resource investment: Upskilling and reskilling require time, money, and resources, and must fit into employees’ schedules. You must obtain funding for training, integrate learning into daily workflows, or offer flexible learning options.
- Aligning skills with business goals: It’s essential to identify the right skills for future success and ensure learning initiatives match company priorities. Collaboration among HR, management, and department heads is key.
- Employee resistance: Some employees may not see the value in upskilling or fear job displacement. You need to communicate the benefits clearly and provide appropriate support throughout the process.
Leadership support: Success depends on management’s commitment to making learning and development (L&D) a priority. As part of the HR team, you should make sure leaders constantly prioritize reskilling and upskilling. - Measuring ROI: You have to demonstrate the positive impact of reskilling and upskilling. Use metrics that show not just course completion but also improved performance, retention, and growth.
- Evolving technology and learning fatigue: As tech evolves quickly, you must keep training content up-to-date and avoid overwhelming staff with irrelevant or repetitive material. Prioritize high-impact skills and keep learning engaging.
Reskilling and upskilling: Practical examples
Below are some practical examples of both reskilling and upskilling to provide a realistic context for how to apply them to your organization.
Reskilling examples
A factory worker retraining as a logistics coordinator
A factory worker trains with digital inventory tools to transition to the role of a logistics coordinator, who manages shipments, supply chain systems, and warehouse software. The company retains its experienced staff and fills an internal logistics role.
A customer support agent becoming a data analyst
A customer support agent with strong problem-solving skills attends a data boot camp where they learn Excel, SQL, and Tableau. They later join the business intelligence team, demonstrating how employers can reskill service staff to fill high-demand analytical roles.
A journalist moving into content marketing
A media company helps laid-off writers reskill by providing training on SEO, brand storytelling, and social media analytics. These former reporters now perform inbound marketing for SaaS (software as a service) companies, using their writing skills in a commercial context.
A travel agent retraining in cybersecurity
A travel agency collaborates with a non-profit tech firm to reskill its displaced agents in cybersecurity. After learning CompTIA and Security+, these agents are now employed as cybersecurity analysts. With the proper support, they pivoted to a more in-demand industry.
A retail worker becoming a junior software developer
After working in retail for some time, a retail staff member enrolls in a part-time coding boot camp provided by their employer. After finishing the program, they join the company’s tech team as a junior software developer. This shows how frontline workers can transition into digital roles.
Upskilling examples
A marketer learning to use SEO tools
A marketing specialist upskills by learning how to use SEO tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console. After getting certified, they optimize content and perform keyword research to improve company search rankings, making them a viable candidate for a digital marketing manager role.
A recruiter learning data analytics
A recruiter upskills in Excel, Power BI, and ATS reporting features. They learn how to track time to hire, source of hire, and diversity KPIs, helping the company make more data-driven hiring decisions. This positions the recruiter for a future career as an HRBP or in talent analytics.
A sales rep training in CRM automation
A sales team upskills its reps in advanced CRM features like automation workflows, lead scoring, and email sequence creation. As a result, the team reduces time spent on admin tasks by 30%, allowing it to concentrate on nurturing customer relationships and closing deals.
An HR generalist learning employee experience design
An HR generalist enrolls in courses covering journey mapping, feedback tools, and using experience measurement platforms. They use these new skills to redesign the onboarding process and introduce pulse surveys, resulting in better employee engagement and retention.
A technician learning how to use AI-powered diagnostics
A field technician upskills by learning to operate AI-powered diagnostic tools. This teaches them how to detect system issues more quickly and accurately. This allows them to handle issues before they worsen, reducing repair time and increasing client satisfaction.
Learn how to effectively reskill and upskill your workforce
Build your skills in creating consistent reskilling and upskilling opportunities for all staff, enabling you to future-proof your workforce and ensure robust succession planning.
AIHR’s Learning & Development Certificate Program teaches you how to set up a solid L&D program, create a culture of learning to close skills gaps and maximize impact, and use learning analytics to assess the effects of your L&D programs.
How HR professionals can reskill and upskill in their profession
As an HR professional, reskilling and upskilling not only improve your HR skills and knowledge but also allow you to model the positive effects of doing so for the rest of your organization. Consider the following HR core areas for upskilling and reskilling:
- People analytics: Gather, analyze, and interpret workforce data to address turnover and employee engagement challenges.
- Digital HR tools: Enhance your skills in using HRIS, ATS, and performance management software to become more efficient and support strategic HR functions.
- AI and automation: Use AI-powered platforms to streamline HR workflows, reduce bias in hiring, and personalize employee experience.
- Employee experience: Design feedback initiatives and wellbeing programs to increase employee engagement and retention.
- Change management: Train on communication strategies and stakeholder management to lead organizational transformation effectively.
HR reskilling and upskilling tips
If you’re keen on reskilling and upskilling, the following tips can help push you in the right direction:
Take part in structured learning programs, certifications, or micro-credentials
To gain structured knowledge and industry recognition, consider signing up for the following AIHR Certificate Programs and online courses:
- People Analytics Certificate Program: Learn to collect, analyze, and act on HR data.
- Digital HR 2.0 Certificate Program: Gain skills vital for digital transformation and automation.
- Artificial Intelligence for HR Certificate Program: Explore how AI reshapes recruitment, performance, and L&D.
- Design Thinking & Employee Experience online course: Build more human-focused people strategies.
- Digital Change Management online course: Lead successful transformation efforts in the digital age.
Join peer communities and knowledge-sharing groups
Participate in professional Human Resources communities like SHRM, CIPD, or dedicated LinkedIn groups. This can help you stay current and learn from others’ real-world experiences. These groups offer practical insights, solutions to common problems, and new ideas you might not find in formal training.
Attend HR conferences and webinars that cover new tools and trends
Attend industry conferences and webinars like AIHR’s live sessions to immerse yourself in the future of work, and stay on top of emerging technologies and evolving practices. Such events offer access to expert insights and industry benchmarks. To get the most out of them, choose events with interactive sessions or workshops.
Shadow colleagues in specialized roles or take on cross-functional projects
Learning by doing or observing helps build real skills quickly. Shadowing someone in a tech-driven or analytical HR role teaches you firsthand how they solve problems. Additionally, cross-functional projects show you how HR fits into the broader business and help build skills outside your comfort zone, like data analysis or change management.
Partner with vendors or tech teams to gain hands-on experience with HR tools
Working directly with vendors or internal tech experts helps you understand how HR systems work behind the scenes. You learn how to implement tools, troubleshoot issues, and tailor solutions to your company’s needs. To start, volunteer to support a tool rollout or schedule regular check-ins with your HRIS or IT team.
6 steps to successfully facilitate reskilling and upskilling
These six steps can help you drive effective reskilling and upskilling for your organization’s workforce:
Step 1: Start with a skills gap analysis
A skills gap analysis helps you understand which skills are missing in your team or organization. Without this, training efforts might miss the mark. Use tools like surveys, performance reviews, and role-based assessments to map current skills against future needs so that you can prioritize the right development areas.
Step 2: Build a learning culture
A strong learning culture encourages employees to take ownership of their development. It also keeps skills fresh and helps your team adapt to change. You can support this by promoting peer learning, recognizing progress, and encouraging managers to support upskilling during one-on-ones and performance reviews.
Step 3: Use internal mobility programs and mentorship
Giving employees chances to move across roles or work with mentors accelerates skill growth and boosts engagement. It also helps retain top talent. Start with skills mapping, then set up job rotation programs, match staff with experienced mentors, and encourage shadowing or project-based learning to support internal mobility.
Step 4: Partner with learning providers or platforms
External platforms bring structure, variety, and expertise that internal resources often lack, and let employees access high-quality content on demand. Work with reputable learning vendors to offer courses, certifications, or microlearning modules aligned with your workforce needs and company goals to ensure quality training.
Step 5: Personalize learning pathways
Generic training doesn’t work for everyone. Personalized learning keeps employees motivated and helps them learn faster. Use skills assessments and development plans to match employees with courses or projects that fit their current level, career aspirations, and pace of learning.
Step 6: Customize training programs
Tailored training ensures employees receive the proper support at the right time. It also makes learning more effective and relevant. You can segment learners based on experience and goals, then offer content in formats that suit different preferences, such as videos, interactive tools, or hands-on workshops. 
HR tools for reskilling and upskilling
Follow these tips and check out the recommended tools below to help you reskill your workforce:
- Start with clear learning goals and skill gaps to ensure you choose tools aligned with your workforce development needs
- Choose platforms that integrate with your HRIS or LMS to manage, assign, and track learning activities
- Prioritize personalization and data tracking tools to improve relevance and support continuous learning
- Consider employee experience—ease of use matters. A positive user experience increases adoption and encourages consistent learning.
The following tools can help you in your reskilling efforts as an HR professional:
Learning and development (L&D) platforms
- LinkedIn Learning: Provides video courses by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills.
- Udemy: Hosts online courses mainly related to job-related skills.
Learning experience platforms (LXP)
- Docebo: Simplifies content management, integrates with your learning tech stack, and drives business outcomes.
- EdCast: Enables users to solve discovery and development problems across external and internal knowledge sources.
People analytics tools
- Lattice: Enables managers to give real-time feedback and praise so employees can seamlessly share and receive feedback.
- Visier: A time-tested platform to build, scale, or extend people analytics practice.
Employee engagement platforms
- 15Five: Enables all managers, employees, and peers to provide objective feedback that can be turned into standardized ratings to make equitable pay and promotion decisions.
- Peakon: Helps you monitor your people’s feelings and implement plans to address their feedback.
Reskilling and upskilling amid the rise of AI
As AI becomes more prevalent across industries, including HR, it’s important to take note of in-demand skills like digital literacy, analytical thinking, and problem-solving. Familiarize yourself with AI tools, data platforms, and tech interfaces, and hone your ability to interpret data so you can make better-informed workforce planning decisions.
Communication and collaboration, creativity and innovation, and AI-specific skills are also crucial. Work with cross-functional teams and AI systems to develop new ideas, experiences, and strategies. At the same time, be sure you learn all you need about prompt design, machine learning, or human-in-the-loop processes (for relevant roles).
In addition to sharpening your HR skills, you should help employees develop vital skills. You can launch digital skills training programs company-wide to help staff become more comfortable with AI, data platforms, and new tech interfaces. Work with IT or data teams for added support — together, you can hold hands-on workshops to offer real-world exposure to AI.
You can also offer learning paths for tech-adjacent skills (e.g., data storytelling, design thinking, or digital project management), and use simulations, role-play, and mentoring to build soft skills (e.g., collaboration, critical thinking, and adaptability). Finally, AI literacy training should be provided to help employees understand AI’s role and how to use it ethically and effectively.
To sum up
Reskilling and upskilling are no longer optional—they’re strategic moves for creating a future-ready workforce, and it’s your responsibility to guide employees through these critical transitions. When learning aligns with business objectives and employee needs, organizations have better flexibility, employee retention, and can close the talent gap.
HR teams are now more equipped than ever to run successful skill-building programs. You can take a proactive approach and use well-planned, scalable development strategies to position yourself and your team as trustworthy allies in driving long-term growth and transformation.
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