Upskilling: What It Means and How It Can Help Your Career (2024)

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

Through upskilling, you'll build on skills you already have and fortify your expertise.

Upskilling: What It Means and How It Can Help Your Career (1)

As you progress through your career, you may find opportunities to build upon your existing skill set. Over time, these new or advanced skills may be why you move into a management position or take on more interesting projects at work.

Although skills development can happen naturally over time, some people choose to actively pursue their professional development goals by upskilling. Likewise, some companies encourage their employees to upskill in order to generate growth opportunities internally.

In this article, we’ll discuss what upskilling means and how you can work toward higher-level skills that align with your career path.

What is upskilling?

Upskilling means learning new and enhanced skills that relate to your current role. Think about it as “leveling up” your skills.

Often, you’ll deepen your knowledge about your role and industry as you gain more experience. Upskilling is typically a more intentional learning process where you’ll gain exposure to that deeper knowledge sooner through skills development courses, certifications, or mentorship programs.

Depending on your role, you may find it beneficial to elevate your workplace skills, technical skills, or both.

Upskilling vs. reskilling

Upskilling and reskilling are two terms that tend to go hand in hand. Whereas upskilling involves elevating your current skill set, reskilling involves learning new cross-functional skills. With reskilling, you may be able to move into a new role or widen the scope of your current role.

Upskilling: What It Means and How It Can Help Your Career (2)

Benefits of upskilling

Often, the benefits of upskilling are listed from a company perspective. Namely, companies that invest in upskilling their employees tend to see better employee engagement and a greater retention rate. In the long-run, this can save money by reducing recruitment costs.

However, upskilling is beneficial for individuals as well. Through upskilling, you could:

  • Progress toward goals

  • Remain competitive in the job market

  • Qualify for a promotion

  • Secure a new job

  • Earn a higher salary

  • Continue self-improvement

How to upskill

The process for upskilling is closely related to the process of working toward your career goals. In fact, you’ll likely want to consider your goals as you determine the areas in which you want to upskill.

To get started, compare your current skill set to the skills you’ll need in order to achieve your long-term career goals. Some skills you may already have, while others may be skills you need to develop. Depending on your goals, you can address any gaps you see by upskilling or reskilling.

Tip: To organize your path forward, it may help to write your career development plan. In this document, you can outline your goals, skills, and resources, and track your progress over time. Find a free template here.

Upskilling: What It Means and How It Can Help Your Career (3)

Here are some ways you can start upskilling (and reskilling) today:

  • Learn about your available resources. Some companies sponsor access to career development programs or upskilling platforms, such as Coursera, to their employees. Ask your People Operations or Human Resources representative about any offerings available to you.

  • Seek out relevant courses. No matter what you’re trying to learn, there is no shortage of courses you can take to upskill. You can likely find relevant courses online or at your local community college, whether you want to learn about well-being, global financial markets, or negotiation skills. Browse popular free courses on Coursera.

  • Earn a certificate. For an enhanced credential, consider enrolling in a certificate program. Typically more labor intensive than an individual course, a certificate can demonstrate additional expertise in a particular area.

  • Work on a project. If you learn best with hands-on practice, try taking on a project that enables you to practice the skills you’re trying to build. You may be able to join a project at work, or you can start your own endeavor outside of work. Over time, your projects can become a cohesive portfolio.

  • Find a mentor. As you figure out the areas you’ll most benefit from upskilling, it can help to talk to someone who has already achieved the type of goals you’re working toward. A mentor can offer personalized guidance as you move toward progress. Learn more about how to find a mentor.

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This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

Upskilling: What It Means and How It Can Help Your Career (2024)

FAQs

Upskilling: What It Means and How It Can Help Your Career? ›

Upskilling focuses on improving current employees' skill sets so they can advance in their jobs and find different roles and opportunities within the company. Upskilling facilitates continuous learning, which is the ongoing expansion of knowledge and skill sets.

What is upskilling and why is it important? ›

For employees, upskilling means developing greater proficiency in one or more specific areas related to their job, increasing their value to their employers and their opportunities for advancement.

What does Upskill your career mean? ›

Upskilling means learning new and enhanced skills that relate to your current role. Think about it as “leveling up” your skills. Often, you'll deepen your knowledge about your role and industry as you gain more experience.

How to upskill your career? ›

Let's explore a step-by-step process for you to upskill yourself and improve your career path.
  1. Start with goal-setting. ...
  2. Identify your knowledge gaps. ...
  3. Establish an upskilling strategy for learning. ...
  4. Start learning. ...
  5. Practice your skills. ...
  6. Never stop learning.

What does it mean to upskill yourself? ›

Put simply, upskilling is the process of acquiring knowledge, experience or skills that will enable you to step up the career ladder to secure a new job or position.

What are the benefits of upskilling? ›

Better communication, enhanced collaboration, leadership development, emotional intelligence training, and more can benefit from an active upskilling program. For employees upskilling offers a means to progression and development as part of lifelong learning.

What is the goal of upskilling? ›

Upskilling focuses on improving current employees' skill sets so they can advance in their jobs and find different roles and opportunities within the company.

What is an example of upskilling? ›

Preparing employees through mentorship and cross-training is a good example of upskilling because it's teaching the employees new skills that enhance what they already know. This means they have probably been pinpointed by management for a move.

What is a sentence for Upskill? ›

They have to upskill themselves by focusing better. The meaningless phrases 'upskill', 'raising the bar' and 'value leakage'. Get the ball across the field, upskill the players.

What is an example of upskilling and Reskilling? ›

Usually, you would teach those employees who have the aptitude for such a transition. For example, you can reskill an accountant into a web developer. Upskilling means teaching your employees advanced skills for their current occupation. There's no need to change the career position or path of upskilled employees.

How do you build your career? ›

10 tips for improving your career
  1. Set goals regularly. To improve your career, set small, short-term goals regularly so you can stay focused on your professional growth. ...
  2. Ask for feedback. ...
  3. Talk to your network. ...
  4. Utilize company resources. ...
  5. Challenge yourself. ...
  6. Read often. ...
  7. Be curious about your industry. ...
  8. Write often.
Sep 30, 2022

What are your skills and abilities? ›

Your abilities are what you can do naturally. For example, you may have a natural ability for working with numbers, people, or machinery. Skills are learned. For example, you may be skilled at selling things, performing basic math, or rebuilding car motors.

Is Upskilling worth it? ›

Upskilling can help both employees and employers benefit from less turnover, expanded growth opportunities and increased work productivity and satisfaction. Upskilling allows individuals to take charge of their own career mobility while employers retain top talent.

What are you doing to upskill yourself? ›

Create an upskilling strategy for learning

With your knowledge gaps clearly identified, you can start creating a learning strategy. Look at various education and training opportunities that can fill in your gaps. Plan out an ongoing learning calendar for yourself using these resources. What will you learn first?

What is a word for Upskill? ›

reskill. verbas in retrain for a new or different type of work. rehabilitate. train. upskill.

What is the value of upskilling? ›

Upskilling allows your team to be more nimble in the face of both industry and technological disruption. Equipping your people with new skills makes them more productive, makes your entire organization more efficient and contributes to developing a learning culture that fosters innovation.

How does upskilling affect employees? ›

Personalizing upskilling and making it relevant to an employee's job––as well as other roles they might want to try––can foster company loyalty. Those who have the right tools and training are more likely to address challenges with confidence and let others outside the organization know they feel supported at work.

What are the benefits of upskilling employees training and development? ›

Upskilling ensures employees' skillsets won't become obsolete, and shows your people you care about their careers and their futures. 2. Boosts morale. Employees who have training and development opportunities are happier in their roles and have a brighter outlook on their future with the company.

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