In a scenario of constant technological transformation, professionals and companies face an urgent challenge: The answer lies in two powerful strategies: upskilling and reskilling.
Employees who do not seek constant updating lose competitiveness and organizations fall behind in the race for innovation. But there is an effective solution.
By investing in continuous skills development, both to improve existing skills (upskilling) and to acquire entirely new knowledge (reskilling), companies not only retain their best talent, but also prepare for the challenges of the future.
Want to understand how upskilling and reskilling can transform your workforce? Keep reading and find out why these strategies are no longer optional but key to success in today’s professional world.
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What is Upskilling?
Upskilling is the strategic process of developing new skills in employees so that they can adapt to emerging market demands, without changing roles.
The goal is to make them more proficient, adaptable and prepared for the present and future challenges of their work.
In other words, upskilling focuses on developing the capabilities that the professional already has, raising their level of expertise and allowing japan data them to perform their tasks with greater efficiency, quality and innovation.
Examples of upskilling in practice
Upskilling can occur in different ways and in different areas. Here are some practical examples:
Technology Area
- Software Developer: Learn a new programming language (e.g. Java to Python) to work on more modern projects or expand your capabilities.
- Data Analyst: Enhance your skills in data visualization tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI) to communicate insights more effectively.
- IT Infrastructure Professional: Obtain certifications in cloud technologies (e.g. AWS, Azure, GCP) to manage the company’s infrastructure more efficiently and scalably.
- Cybersecurity Specialist: Update your knowledge of the latest threats and learn new incident prevention and response techniques.
Marketing and sales area
- Marketing Analyst: Develops digital marketing skills, such as SEO, content marketing or social media management, to reach a larger audience online.
- Salesperson: Learn consultative selling or complex selling techniques to deal with larger clients and longer sales cycles.
- Content Marketing Professional: Improve your skills in storytelling and innovative content formats (video, podcast) to engage your audience.
- CRM Specialist: Learn how to use new CRM software features to optimize customer relationships and increase sales.
Human Resources Area
- HR Generalist: Specializes in buy telemarketing data HR data analysis (People Analytics) to make more informed and strategic decisions.
- Recruiter: Learn digital recruitment and employer branding techniques to attract the best talent in a competitive market.
- Training and Development Specialist: Gain knowledge of online learning methodologies and instructional design to create more effective training programs.
- Business Partner: Develops business acumen skills to understand the company’s business and align HR strategies with organizational inbound marketing and paid media: the perfect allies? objectives.
- Other areas
- Financial Analyst: Learn how to use Business Intelligence (BI) tools to generate more detailed reports and financial insights.
- Project Manager: Enhance your leadership skills and agile methodologies to manage projects more efficiently.
- Customer Service Professional: Develops communication and problem-solving skills across different channels (chatbots, social media) to improve the customer experience.
- Production Worker: Learns to operate new machines and technologies to increase production efficiency and quality.
How upskilling contributes to individual and organizational performance
Upskilling elevates individual performance by increasing proficiency, quality, autonomy, adaptability and engagement , opening doors to growth and relevance.
For the organization, it contributes to greater productivity, quality of products and services, innovation, cost reduction, agility, talent retention, strengthening of the employer brand and competitiveness, preparing the team for new technologies.
“By acquiring or improving skills through training, people increase their ability to perform tasks and achieve results. Organizational performance is, in essence, the sum of each employee’s individual performance. Therefore, when a professional develops, they contribute both to achieving their own goals and to the organization’s objectives.” – Julia Longo, Engagement Manager at Koru.
In short, it is an investment that boosts both the professional and the company.
What is Reskilling?
Reskilling, in literal translation, means “requalification”. In the professional context, it refers to the process of learning new skills and competencies to perform a completely different role from the one the professional currently performs.
Data warns of the urgency of this movement: the World Economic Forum (2023) reveals that 44% of current professional skills will become obsolete by 2027 .
This significant percentage shows that adaptation is no longer optional — companies and professionals that do not invest in reskilling will face risks such as misalignment with the market, loss of competitiveness and, in the case of individuals, reduced employability.
Examples of reskilling in practice
Banking and Finance Sector:
- Traditional banks: In light of the digitalization of banking, many banks in Brazil are investing in reskilling employees in physical branches for roles that require digital skills, such as online customer service, technical support for digital platforms, and even areas such as data analysis and cybersecurity. While specific numbers by bank are rare, the overall movement of the sector towards digital and the need for new skills indicate a significant investment in reskilling.
- Fintechs and financial startups: These digitally native companies also invest in reskilling to adapt their employees to new technologies and demands of the constantly evolving financial market, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and advanced data analysis.
Industrial Sector:
- Manufacturing companies: Suzano, the world’s largest producer of pulp and a global leader in the manufacture of bioproducts developed from eucalyptus, illustrates a practical case of reskilling in Brazil. Faced with the rapid digital transformation, the company, in partnership with Koru, implemented the Digital Empowerment program . With the energy transition, companies in the sector are investing in reskilling their professionals to work with renewable energy sources, energy storage technologies and new ways of managing the electricity grid.
Technology Sector:
- IT and services companies: Rapid technological evolution requires continuous investment in reskilling. The delivery company has invested in training and reskilling programs, with the commitment to train thousands of professionals in technology, aiming both to meet its own demands and to boost the market.
Other Sectors:
- Retail companies: Adapting to e-commerce and new forms of customer interaction, retailers are retraining their employees to work in areas such as e-commerce logisti
- Service companies: Sectors such as telecommunications and public services also invest in reskilling to prepare their e