Five ways to upskill your employees

Upskilling existing employees is essential to growing your business and retaining a competitive edge in the marketplace.

It can also be a cost-effective alternative to hiring new staff to fill skills gaps in your workforce.  

Here are 5 different ways to upskill your employees 

Apprenticeships 

A common misconception about apprenticeships is that they are only for new hires or young people, when in fact apprenticeships can be used to train anyone within your organisation regardless of age or when they were hired.  

Apprenticeships are a perfect option for employers who want to upskill their employees with a new set of skills or develop their basic knowledge to an advanced level. Alongside developing vocational skills, apprenticeships can be used to develop skills that employees need to progress to the next level in the business e.g. management apprenticeships, business admin apprenticeships and project management apprenticeships.  

Apprenticeships are also one of the most cost-effective ways to upskill staff with a formal qualification as they are supported by funding from the government.  

Professional Development Courses 

Upskilling with a certified professional development course can help your employees to learn new skills and gain a qualification from an industry-specific board. These types of courses are best suited to those who are already working in their desired industry and need a higher qualification to progress to a senior role.  

Qualifications from industry-recognised associations can also help to add credibility to your employee and company. Our professional development partners, MOL Learn, offer courses from CIPD, CMI, Propertymark and APM. 

Unlike apprenticeships, courses like this cannot be funded by the government so you or the employee will be responsible for paying the full cost of the upskilling course.  

Webinars and events 

Getting your employees to upskill by attending webinars and industry events is perfect for those who need to sharpen or update their skills in one specific area of their role. Events like these are often led by industry experts and give employees the opportunity to discover innovative new ways to complete a certain task.  

One- or two-day events can often work out cheaper than the cost of a whole training course, however your employees will not be assessed on their capabilities or receive any formal qualification. Webinars and events are best used in combination with an apprenticeship or professional development with those new to the industry or role. 

Articles and publications 

Similarly to events, articles and publications can help employees to stay up to date with the industry, learn about new developments in their sector, and learn task-specific skills.  

All employees should show an active interest in staying up to date with the trends in their industry but we highly recommend it in sectors where there are frequent changes to policy or practice e.g. human resources, property, and digital marketing.  

Some publications may require a small subscription fee however many are available for free – the downside being that no skills assessment is done and no qualification is received through this method of upskilling employees.   

Short Courses 

For those who need to develop skills in one particular area but need formal training, assessment and a qualification at the end, short courses are the perfect solution.  

Short courses combine all the learning benefits of apprenticeships and professional development courses with the time-effective aspect of events and articles.  

Our short courses are delivered online, CPD certified with funding options available for those who meet the eligibility requirements. You can upskill employees with short courses that last from 1 day to 12 weeks in a variety of areas including first aid, management, and digital skills.  

Upskilling employees can help your business to retain staff, improve performance and grow over time. Whichever route you choose, our expert team is always on hand to help you every step of the way.  

Find out more about our apprenticeships or short courses or call our friendly advisors on 03333 222 666.