The year 2023 is a special and incredibly important year that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared as the "European Year of Skills". It's an initiative aimed at emphasizing the need to embrace a culture of lifelong learning.

WATCH THE WEBINAR (PL): Reskilling - How to Plan and Implement a Strategy to Engage and Successfully Reskill Employees.

Europe is facing an aging population, and in the near future, there may be a shortage of talent. The demographics clearly show this. We must reach out to people who are already in the workforce and provide them with a new set of skills to remain active and needed in the job market, says Joanna Pruszyńska-Witkowska.

Polish Potential and Catching Up

On one hand, we hear about the achievements of Open AI, Microsoft, Intel, praising Poland for having one of the best groups of programmers globally and remarkable intellectual and technological potential. On the other hand, looking at society as a whole, Poland ranks among the lowest in terms of digitization and access to knowledge. There is much work to be done.

Reskilling Tied to ESG Matters

It's also essential to realize that when talking about reskilling, we must consider aspects related to ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) and regulations that are already in effect. Companies will need to prepare ESG reports that encompass not only the well-being of employees but also how they prepare their workforce for significant challenges and changes and their attractiveness in the job market, particularly in terms of competencies.

The Great Skills Reset

It is impossible not to refer to the results of the report on reskilling workers, "The Great Skills Reset" (authored by Future Collars and ICAN Institute, available at www.reskilling.pl). The report includes case studies from companies such as Orange, Amazon, and BNP Paribas, which have already implemented their reskilling projects. The report was based on research conducted with 300 HR directors responsible for employee development policies.

Thanks to this, we gained insight into the actions of larger organizations, helping us understand trends and practices related to reskilling. The case studies presented in the report are excellent examples of innovative approaches to retraining and developing employees, which brought visible benefits to the companies, adds J. Pruszyńska-Witkowska.

The research conclusions, in brief, are not optimistic. While 62% of companies see the potential of reskilling as a solution to the shortage of specialists, actual actions are limited. Only 6% of companies have implemented reskilling! This means that only 200 companies in Poland have benefited from this program. Nine out of ten companies face difficulties in recruitment, and over 32% expect job automation. Valuable employees who know the organization and the industry are being laid off. Action needs to be taken for these individuals. However, most companies focus on increasing recruitment funds and benefits instead of investing in reskilling, resulting in rising recruitment costs.

Barriers to Reskilling

One of the main obstacles to implementing reskilling is the budget. If a portion of the funds currently spent on recruitment were allocated to reskilling, solutions could be found.

Reskilling requires enormous effort. Not only do we lack financial resources, but we also lack experience in this area. Companies would like to take action, but they don't yet know how, except for a few organizations like Orange. Companies think that implementing reskilling requires a tremendous effort, and they are unsure where to begin. That's where we step in! We have formed a program council that is currently developing a guide based on our workshops, outlining specific steps for organizations to implement reskilling actions, summarizes J. Pruszyńska-Witkowska.

Read more:
Part 2 - Reskilling: The Employee Perspective
Part 3 - How to Implement Reskilling in an Organization

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This article is based on the webinar "Competence Development and Reskilling - Key to Success in a Dynamic Business World" organized by Future Collars. The webinar featured experts: Tina Sobocińska, Joanna Pruszyńska-Witkowska, and Adrian Siemieniak.

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Tina Sobocińska - an experienced HR leader with over 20 years of experience both in large corporations and as an advisor. For the past 2 years, she has focused on reskilling and upskilling trends. Her expertise includes advising on hybrid work implementation, defining future competencies, and collaborating with Future Collars on reskilling initiatives. Tina is also a respected lecturer at SWPS postgraduate studies and teaches at SGH and the Leon Koźmiński Academy. She engages in recording podcasts and conducting interviews with leaders to prepare companies for challenging times.

Joanna Pruszyńska-Witkowska - Co-founder of Future Collars - a digital competence school. She has over 20 years of experience in running public relations agencies. Always interested in empowering women, the idea of helping women prepare for technological changes and providing them with new opportunities in the IT sector was born. This vision led to the creation of Future Collars, which currently has 60% to 67% female graduates, examples of completely changing their careers and entering the IT world, regardless of age, previous experience, or education.

Adrian Siemieniak - Business Development Manager at Future Collars. He advises companies that want to thrive in the world of new technologies by equipping their employees with essential digital competencies.

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Future Collars is a leading digital competence school specializing in reskilling and upskilling employees. The school offers online courses in programming and software testing, providing practical skills and job placement support.
More information about Future Collars' offerings can be found on their website: https://futurecollars.com/en