Upskilling is not optional for organizations that want to stay competitive in today’s business landscape. It has become an essential business process that improves agility, enables adaptability, and enhances employee engagement.
By supporting career growth and creating an internal talent pipeline, upskilling plays a central role in efforts to become future-ready. A recent report on upskilling released by the knowledge infrastructure solution Tigerhall reveals that today’s business technology offers opportunities to support effective upskilling initiatives.
“When leveraged correctly, technology can provide upskilling opportunities for employees that are tailored to their specific needs and flexible enough to fit their schedules,” the report states. “This approach not only enhances employees’ skills through continuous learning, but also upholds a culture of innovation, growth, and long-term business success.”
Tigerhall’s main focus is providing bite-sized business-related content from top business experts in a platform that makes professional development and business education more affordable and more impactful. It provides over 1,300 pieces of content, including podcasts, live streams, courses, and more, enabling people to succeed in business despite outside circumstances, backgrounds, or financial situations.
The Tigerhall report reveals the findings of a recent roundtable it hosted on technology’s role in upskilling the workforce. The roundtable brought together experts from global education, technical training, learning design, people development, DE&I, and HR to explore the role technology can play in achieving corporate learning and development outcomes. The topics covered in the report include the learning and development landscape, technology innovations and trends, technology’s role in corporate learning, and strategies for successful change management in the adoption of new technology.
Technology improves access to upskilling
Traditional corporate learning requires a significant investment of resources for both development and deployment. It also typically involves considerable logistical challenges that increase with the size of the organization.
Tara Borchers, Head of D&I and HR Technology at PRA Group, explained during the Tigerhall roundtable that technology has reshaped the corporate learning landscape by empowering the emergence of low-cost and accessible software solutions. She emphasized that decreasing the digital competency needed for developing and engaging with learning ultimately increases its effectiveness.
Cloud computing capabilities are one of the technological advances that have streamlined training development and access. The Tigerhall report identifies cloud-based platforms as a valuable tool for efficiently creating, managing, and delivering training content.
”The flexibility and scalability of such systems have empowered businesses to rapidly adapt their learning strategies and keep employees up-to-date with the latest skills and advancements in their respective fields,” the report states.
Essentially, technology has democratized the power of corporate learning. As explained in the report, today’s technology frameworks, which empower innovations such as intuitive learning management systems and virtual classrooms, enable efficient upskilling in organizations of all sizes. By lowering the financial costs associated with creating and deploying solutions, technology allows any organization to enable learning that supports effective upskilling.
Technology improves the impact of upskilling
The importance of seeing learning and performing as two sides of the same coin is a valuable perspective shared during the Tigerhall roundtable.
“The problem is that we still see learning as a separate activity to performing, and that disconnect needs to stop,” said Juliana Saad, VP of Talent Management, Learning & Development, DEIB, Engagement & Wellbeing at DHL eCommerce. “As organizations, we care if they [employees] are performing, but learning is what’s necessary to perform.”
Today’s technology allows that important connection to be made in a number of ways. Meredith Wellard, VP of Group Learning, Talent, and HR Platforms at Deutsche Post DHL, explained that the key is helping employees understand learning is an ongoing part of their job. Rather than just making training available, today’s organizations must inspire employees to access it. Technology helps empower learning environments that resonate with employees, producing better results.
Wellard also explained the importance of leveraging technology to create curated learning experiences for employees. Her view is that the focus of learning in today’s workplace should shift from the content to the learner. Technology gives organizations the power to consider the various ways employees learn as well as the specific content required for each position, supporting the development of curated programs that optimize impact.
Zhdan Shakirov, Innovation and Technology Director at BCG, also advocated that organizations leverage technology to develop personalized learning experiences tailored to individual needs. Like other roundtable participants, Shakirov highlighted the benefits of integrating learning into the daily work cycle. Modern tech solutions, including AI-powered learning platforms, allow for self-paced, just-in-time learning that can suggest impactful learning resources in real time.
Strategic steps toward leveraging technology
The Tigerhall report recommends several strategic steps for organizations intent on accelerating upskilling with technology, including the foundational step of assessing technological needs. This step includes identifying the areas in which technology solutions can enhance training to improve skills while aligning with business goals. Other key steps include customizing content for digital learning, analyzing performance on an ongoing basis, seeking employee feedback, and keeping technology current.
The need to transition learning from a one-time event to a continuous, adaptable, and inclusive process was the dominant theme of the Tigerhall roundtable. Today’s technology solutions give organizations the capability to drive that transition, improving organizational effectiveness by empowering ongoing upskilling in a way that makes sense to today’s tech-savvy workforce. Those that take advantage of the latest solutions will emerge as the organizations that are creating the future, rather than just preparing for it.
