Upskilling and reskilling: anticipating skills obsolescence
Artificial intelligence, automation, the environmental transition, changing business models: the skills required sometimes change faster than the jobs themselves. For companies, the challenge is no longer just about recruiting new expertise. It is also about preparing employees for the work of tomorrow.
Analysing how AI, technological change and sector-wide transformation affect employment makes it possible to identify the jobs concerned and the kind of skills to develop. Upskilling strengthens the skills needed in a job that is changing; reskilling prepares people to move into a different job.
Alixio Group helps HR departments anticipate needs, identify gaps and build the right learning pathways. We connect the company’s priorities, the training options available and employees’ career prospects.
Upskilling, reskilling and deskilling: how do you prevent skills obsolescence?
Technological and organisational change does not affect every job in the same way. Some skills need to be strengthened or broadened, new ones need to be acquired, while certain tasks may become less complex or be partly automated.
These changes can lead to skills obsolescence when employees’ know-how no longer matches the needs of their role or tomorrow’s jobs closely enough.
Upskilling and reskilling are two possible responses. The first supports the evolution of an existing job; the second prepares a move into another role. Deskilling calls for a different kind of vigilance: when automation lowers the level of skill required for certain tasks, the company must anticipate the risk of losing know-how and identify the skills that need to be preserved, strengthened or redeployed.
For the company, the aim is to anticipate these changes early enough to prevent a lasting gap from opening up between current skills and future needs.
How does Alixio Group support skills transformation?
Alixio Group works from the forward-looking analysis of jobs through to the rollout of learning pathways. Our support is tailored to the company’s strategy, the employee groups concerned and the gap between current skills and target skills.
Anticipate the jobs and skills needed
The first step is to understand what is going to change in the work: the technologies used, processes, responsibilities, ways of working together or client expectations.
Workforce and skills planning identifies jobs that are growing, changing or declining, as well as the critical skills to preserve or acquire.
This analysis can also feed into a Skills-Based Organisation (SBO), changing how the organisation is viewed: no longer only through the roles people hold, but through the skills that are genuinely available, usable or transferable.
Choose between upskilling, career change and mobility
Not every gap calls for the same response. Some can be closed through targeted training. Others require a more significant change in the job, job shadowing or a change of function.
We help you distinguish between:
- situations that call for upskilling;
- possible moves into a related job;
- career changes that require a reskilling programme;
- situations where internal mobility should be considered.
This analysis takes into account transferable skills, the prerequisites of the target job, learning potential and the opportunities genuinely available within the organisation.
The plan offered to each employee is therefore based on a clear career path, rather than a vague invitation to take training.
Design programmes linked to real work
Programmes are built around the skills required and the situations in which they will be used. They can then be included in the company’s skills development plan.
Depending on needs, they can combine:
- in-person or digital training;
- on-the-job learning;
- job shadowing in a team or role;
- coaching or mentoring;
- one-to-one support;
- skills accreditation or certification.
The choice of methods depends on the audience, the gap to be closed and operational constraints. A short course may be enough to adopt a new tool. A career change generally requires a more structured progression, hands-on practice and support right through to taking up the new role.
Involve employees, managers and employee representatives
A technically sound programme can fail if it is not understood or if it gives no clear sense of where it leads.
The company’s HR strategy must fully reflect these issues: training policy, talent management, mobility, recruitment and work organisation.
Managers need to be able to explain the changes, identify needs and support hands-on practice. Employees, for their part, need to understand the objectives, the eligibility criteria and the prospects each programme offers.
When a transformation affects several jobs or significantly changes employment, it must also be prepared in consultation with employee representatives. If it creates significant uncertainty or tension, psychosocial risk prevention measures can also be put in place.
A four-step approach
Assess the changes
We analyse jobs, activities, current skills and the changes likely to affect needs.
Prioritise career paths
We identify critical skills, the employee groups concerned and the most suitable responses: upskilling, reskilling, mobility or recruitment.
Design and roll out programmes
We define the objectives, learning methods, practical application stages and support for employees and managers.
Measure and adjust
We assess what has been learned, how it is applied at work, the moves completed and the programme’s contribution to the company’s objectives.
How do you measure the success of an upskilling or reskilling programme?
Satisfaction scores give an initial indication, but on their own they are not enough to assess how effective a programme is. Measurement can cover several levels:
- skills acquired compared with the starting level;
- how those skills are applied in real work situations;
- changes in practices, autonomy or quality;
- moves or new roles taken up;
- how successfully people settle into the target job;
- employee and manager satisfaction.
Indicators should be defined at the programme design stage. They make it possible to adjust programmes, compare methods and focus investment on the most effective actions. This approach can be taken further to measure training performance more precisely.
What are the benefits for the company and its employees?
- For the company, upskilling and reskilling help build the skills its strategy requires. They make it easier for jobs to evolve, support internal mobility and offer an alternative to recruitment when skills can be developed in-house.
- For the HR function, they create a more direct link between workforce planning, training, talent management and career paths. Investment is directed towards identified needs and assessed against expected results.
- For employees, tthese programmes strengthen employability by helping them update their skills, develop new ones and broaden their career prospects. Learning is linked to real changes in their work, a move or access to a new job, rather than to a one-off training course.
Prepare today for the skills you will need tomorrow
Upskilling and reskilling turn changes in jobs into concrete decisions about training, mobility and professional development. Alixio Group helps you identify priority skills, build programmes and measure their contribution to your transformation.
Q&A – Upskilling and reskilling
Can a single programme combine upskilling and reskilling?
Yes. A transformation may mean strengthening some employees’ skills in their current job while preparing others for a career change. The right response depends on the gaps identified and the career paths available.
Can reskilling replace recruitment?
Reskilling complements recruitment but does not always replace it. It makes sense when employees have transferable skills and a realistic programme can prepare them for a target job.
How do you encourage employee engagement?
The company needs to explain the reasons for the approach, make the prospects visible and leave real room for individual aspirations. Manager involvement, time set aside for learning and a clear view of where the programme leads are also key.
How do you prevent deskilling caused by automation?
Deskilling becomes a risk when a company automates an activity to the point where it no longer retains the in-house skills needed to understand it, oversee it or take it back in the event of a failure.
Preventing this risk means identifying the critical know-how that must be preserved, even when certain tasks are handed over to AI or automated tools. Companies can then maintain these skills through training, regular practice, knowledge transfer or upskilling and reskilling programmes.
