Upskilling: Turn Talent Gaps into Growth Engines
- mcphersonberry
- Nov 20
- 1 min read
Hiring for skills is step one. Keeping them sharp is step two.
The Business Case for Upskilling
Retention: Employees with learning opportunities are 2.9x more likely to stay.
Productivity: Companies with strong learning cultures see 37% higher productivity.
Innovation: Cross-trained teams generate 26% more creative solutions.
Your 90-Day Upskilling Action Plan
Timeline
Action
Tools & Resources
Days 1–30
Audit current skills across teams
Use LinkedIn Skills Insights, Degreed, or internal surveys
Days 31–60
Days 61–90
Pilot peer-to-peer coaching
Pair high-performers with junior staff; track via 15Five or Lattice
Pro Move: Tie upskilling to career mobility. Show employees a clear path: “Master Python → Lead data projects → Promote to Senior Analyst.”
Success Stories to Inspire You
AT&T’s “Future Ready” Program: Invested $1B in reskilling 100,000+ employees. Result? 50% internal hires for tech roles.
A Mid-Sized Manufacturer (Client Case): Switched to skills-based hiring for assembly techs. Hired 40% faster, reduced turnover by 28%, and launched an in-house robotics certification with a local community college.
Overcome Common Roadblocks
Challenge
“We don’t have budget for training”
Solution
Have internal "Lunch and Learn" series where employees teach employees
Challenge
“Managers resist change”
Solution
Share ROI data + pilot in one department
Challenge
“How do we measure success?”
Solution
Track: time-to-hire, retention, project velocity, employee NPS
Your Next Steps (Start Today)
Launch one micro-course for your team (even 15 minutes/week adds up).
Partner with McPhersonBerry for a custom in-house or virtual workshop.
The Bottom Line
Strategic upskilling builds a resilient, innovative, loyal workforce ready for whatever 2030 brings.
Ready to make the shift? Let’s talk.
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