Digital Upskilling Training: Definition, Guide, Resources

Educating employees on new and pertinent digital skills necessary in today’s technologically advanced workplace is known as “digital upskilling.” In addition to empowering people, this ongoing learning process makes sure that businesses stay inventive and competitive.

Key Takeaways

• Digital upskilling is educating individuals on new digital skills in the modern workplace.
• It empowers individuals and ensures businesses remain competitive and innovative.
• Upskilling covers a wide range of abilities, including data analytics, digital marketing, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
• It goes beyond coding and software expertise, focusing on developing a digital mindset to adapt to new technologies.
• Closing the digital skills gap is crucial for organizations to enhance employability, drive innovation, and future-proof careers.
• Strategies for digital upskilling include online learning platforms, corporate training programs, and digital adoption platforms.
• Resources for upskilling include online courses, learning management systems, digital transformation materials, and industry association websites.
• Companies can establish their digital academies to promote a culture of technology and innovation.
• Crafting a digital upskilling training program involves assessing skill gaps, curating relevant content, motivating employees, providing practical application opportunities, and promoting continuous learning.

What Is Digital Upskilling? Understanding the Concept

Digital upskilling includes a wide variety of abilities from data analytics to digital marketing, and cloud computing to cybersecurity. It goes beyond simply learning to code or becoming an expert in complicated software applications. It’s about helping staff develop an agile and digital mentality so they can quickly adjust to new procedures and technology.

Every organization hoping to close the digital skills gap which is a discrepancy between the digital abilities available in the workforce and meeting business objectives—needs to have a digital upskilling plan in place. 

It is essential for both individuals and organizations in several ways. 

• Firstly, digital upskilling allows individuals to stay competitive in the job market by acquiring new digital skills and keeping up with evolving industry requirements. 
• Secondly, it drives innovation by equipping individuals with the necessary expertise to leverage emerging technologies and contribute to organizational growth. 
• Moreover, developing digital competencies enhances employability, providing individuals with access to new career opportunities and possibilities for advancement. 
• Lastly, continuous upskilling ensures careers are future-proofed by preparing individuals to tackle emerging challenges and thrive in dynamic work environments.

What Is This Gap In Digital Skills?

The Future of Jobs Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum highlights that 44% of workers’ skills are expected to be disrupted in the next five years, emphasizing the need for reskilling and upskilling programs to bridge skill gaps (1).

SHRM discusses the growing skills gap in the United States and the importance of recruiting from nontraditional labor pools, training workers, and collaborating with educational institutions to enhance graduate employability (2).

UST emphasizes the significant impact of the skills gap on the economy, with the potential loss of trillions of dollars due to talent shortages by 2030. The report stresses the importance of blending technical and soft skills to improve company performance and address the widening skills gap. (3)

These underscore the critical need for organizations to invest in upskilling and reskilling initiatives to address the skills gap, enhance workforce capabilities, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving job market.

Rising Need Across Functions For Digital Skills

All functions, departments, and teams need someone with digital skills. Nowadays, digital fluency is required for every job posting. This includes both technology abilities like coding and administrative skills like accountancy.

In the tech industry, the following are the most in-demand skills:

• MS Office 
• Project Management
• Analytical abilities
• Customer support
• Cloud-based computing
• Programming languages like SQL and Python

Coding and programming languages, data analysis and visualization, digital marketing methods, cybersecurity principles, web development, UX/UI design, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and project management are examples of other common areas of concentration.

Strategies for Digital Upskilling

• Online Learning Platforms: A wide variety of courses on digital skills, from cloud computing to data science, are available on platforms such as eLearning Industry, Udacity, and LinkedIn Learning.
• Corporate Training Programs: To improve employees’ digital literacy, companies such as PwC deploy extensive upskilling techniques that make use of digital fitness applications, gamification, and podcasts.
• Platforms for Digital Adoption (DAPs): DAPs offer self-help support and in-app instruction, allowing staff members to upskill without interruption to their daily tasks.
• Encouragement of cross-training in similar tasks helps employees diversify their skill sets and gets them ready for jobs with several facets.

Resources of Digital Upskilling Training

Organizations wishing to undertake digital upskilling programs have access to a wealth of materials. Online resources such as LinkedIn Learning provide in-depth manuals and courses covering a broad range of digital skills. Furthermore, consulting companies offer ideas on how to successfully incorporate digital upskilling into company initiatives. 

Or, companies can use the digital upskilling strategies above to create their resources. For example:

Online Course Resources: Udacity and AIHR are two platforms that provide courses on cutting-edge technologies including digital HR, data science, and artificial intelligence.

Learning Management Systems (LMS): Effective upskilling activities are ensured by LMS solutions, which promote employee training, track progress, and assess learning results.

Resources for Digital Transformation: Learning pathways and video tutorials are two examples of resources on digital transformation that offer insights into the digital environment and how it affects upskilling initiatives.

Open Educational Resources: Lectures, tutorials, and resources on digital skills are all available for free or at a small fee on websites such as Khan Academy, MIT, and OpenLearn. These materials address topics like digital literacy, computer science, coding, and cybersecurity.

Websites of Industry Associations: A lot of professional associations and industry associations offer digital upskilling materials relevant to their particular industries. Google Digital Garage, Microsoft Learn, and HubSpot Academy are a few examples. These sites include certificates, training courses, and useful materials about digital tools and technology.

Digital Academies of Companies: The mission of Digital Academy is to drive the transformation of procedures, goods, and services while also igniting employee interaction with digital and data science. As an internal initiative, digital academies satisfy certain requirements:

• Digital academies are unique to the culture of the business.
• Their programs are very immersive and consider organizational team dynamics, despite their varied lengths and contents.
• They reach out to knowledge workers on how to utilize certain technologies, managers, and executives to increase their understanding of data science, and new hires for technical career options.

In a way that more generic online training just cannot, they assist in developing and sustaining a particular culture surrounding technology and innovation by emphasizing how to apply it in the context of the business and its digital vision.

How to Craft a Digital Upskilling Training Program for Your Company?

Creating a program for digital upskilling requires the following crucial steps:

1. Assessment of Skill Gaps: Pinpointing the precise digital competencies the company lacks.
2. Curating Relevant Content: Compiling or producing educational materials customized to fill in the identified skill gaps.
3. Motivation and Engagement: Motivating staff members to actively engage in the learning process.
4. Practical Application: Giving employees chances to use their newly acquired abilities in authentic situations.
5. Continuous Learning: Making sure they stay up to date with technological changes.

It’s not only about honing abilities specific to the work; it’s also about preparing for future skill needs, creating a culture that supports upskilling, and creating a learning and development department that uses the best educational technologies.

Do digital upskilling training programs offer certifications?

After completing a digital upskilling training program successfully, several give certificates. These credentials can be used as proof of your knowledge and skill acquisition in a certain field. But it’s crucial to review the program’s specifics.

How can I choose the best training program for digital upskilling?

A program’s content, teacher experience, reputation, evaluations from previous students, the flexibility of the learning format, certification possibilities, and pricing should all be taken into account when selecting a digital upskilling training course. To make sure the program meets your needs, it’s also critical to evaluate your own skill level, learning preferences, and professional aspirations.

Conclusion

Digital upskilling training is essential for today’s companies. Organizations may overcome the skills gap and promote an innovative and adaptable culture by investing in the ongoing development of their workers’ digital capabilities. The businesses that place a high priority on digital upskilling will be at the forefront of this emerging digital domain.