Reskilling, Upskilling, Cross-skilling: how to navigate tomorrow’s world of work?

Reskilling, which could be translated as requalification or professional reconversion, consists in acquiring new skills to exercise a profession different from the one you currently practice. It’s a more profound approach than upskilling, as it involves a career change.

Reskilling may be chosen by the employee, for example to give new meaning to his or her career, due to changes in the job market or the disappearance of certain professions.

For the employee: Reskilling offers the opportunity to reorientate oneself professionally, to find a more fulfilling or better-paid job, and to improve one’s employability. It also protects against unemployment by acquiring skills that are in demand on the job market.

For the company: Reskilling enables the company to meet its skills needs by training its own employees in new professions. It reduces recruitment costs and promotes talent retention. Reskilling also improves the company’s competitiveness by making it more agile and adaptable to change.

A number of schemes can help employees and jobseekers to reskill:

• The Personal Training Account (CPF): This enables you to finance training leading to qualifications or certification.
• Pôle Emploi: offers assistance and training for jobseekers wishing to retrain.
• OPCOs (Opérateurs de Compétences): They support companies in setting up training plans and can finance reskilling initiatives.
• Internal mobility schemes: Some companies offer reskilling programs to support employees wishing to move to another job within the company.

For the employee: Upskilling enables employees to gain expertise, improve performance and seize new professional opportunities. It also promotes professional fulfillment and job satisfaction.

For the company: Upskilling enhances productivity and competitiveness by ensuring that employees are competent and up to date in their field. It also encourages innovation and adaptation to change.

For the employee: Upskilling enables employees to gain expertise, improve performance and seize new professional opportunities. It also promotes professional fulfillment and job satisfaction.

For the company: Upskilling enhances productivity and competitiveness by ensuring that employees are competent and up to date in their field. It also encourages innovation and adaptation to change.

There are many ways of upskilling employees:

• Skills development plan: This enables the company to offer its employees training to develop their skills.
• The Personal Training Account (CPF): This can be used to finance upskilling training.
• In-house training: Many companies offer in-house training courses to enable their employees to enhance their skills.
• Mentoring and coaching: These schemes support employees in their professional development.

Cross-skilling involves acquiring skills in areas that are different from, but complementary to, one’s original profession. The aim is to develop employees’ versatility and give them a better understanding of different aspects of the company. Cross-skilling also encourages teamwork and innovation.

For the employee: Cross-skilling enables you to develop new skills, enrich your profile and become more versatile. It also encourages open-mindedness, creativity and adaptability.

For the company: Cross-skilling provides employees with the ability to perform a variety of tasks and adapt to changes in the company. It improves communication and collaboration between teams, and fosters innovation.

Several approaches can be used to develop employee cross-skilling:

• Short courses: They enable you to discover new fields and acquire basic skills.
• Cross-disciplinary projects: These enable us to work with different teams and develop skills in other fields.
• Job shadowing: This involves shadowing a colleague in a different line of work in order to understand his or her job and acquire new skills.
• Communities of practice: These enable employees to share their knowledge and experience in different fields.

The choice between reskilling, upskilling and cross-skilling depends on several factors:

• Company needs: What skills are missing and how can employees be trained to meet these needs?
• Employee aspirations: What are their career goals and how can we support them in their professional development?
• The changing job market: what are the emerging skills and how can we anticipate tomorrow’s needs?

A skills assessment can help you take stock of your skills, aspirations and market needs. It enables you to identify the path best suited to your profile and objectives.

Reskilling, upskilling and cross-skilling are essential tools for adapting to changes in the world of work. Whether you want to reorient yourself professionally, upgrade your skills or develop your versatility, there are solutions to suit every situation.

Companies have a key role to play in supporting their employees in this process, by implementing appropriate training schemes and fostering a culture of continuous learning. By investing in their employees’ skills development, companies can improve their competitiveness, retain their talents and help build a more sustainable and fulfilling future for work.