Reskilling: make your factory and your employees future-proof!

You can’t have missed it: developments in society are moving incredibly fast right now. Blink and there are new apps designed and business processes set up even smarter and faster. It’s even becoming more and more normal to come across a robot in a restaurant, hospital, or factory. That changes something truly fundamental: the role of people on the shop floor. In factories, too, it’s increasingly about thinking, adjusting, and collaboration between humans and technology. So very different knowledge and skills are expected of a production employee than, say, ten years ago. And that’s where reskilling comes in.

What is reskilling, actually?‍

Where upskilling is the equivalent of the more old-fashioned term ‘further training’, reskilling is about existing employees learning entirely new skills: retraining, in other words. On the shop floor in particular, technological developments move very fast, to meet customers’ ever higher demands and to respond to an aging workforce. The introduction of a new type of machine, automation of processes, or the use of data to steer production more intelligently. Besides computer skills and technical insight, production employees today are also expected to have very different soft skills than they used to.

Problem-solving ability, collaboration, and communication are becoming increasingly important to keep up on the shop floor.

Why reskilling on the shop floor is so important right now‍

There are several reasons to invest in reskilling. As in many other industries, many factories today struggle with staff shortages, high workloads, and an aging workforce. At the same time, production increasingly needs employees who don’t just do operational work but can also think along, analyze, and adjust: skills that used to be far less relevant in a factory. Instead of searching again and again for the perfect candidate, it’s often smarter to invest in the people you already have. That saves you a lot of headaches when it comes to recruitment and selection. Investing in reskilling has another important side benefit. Employee engagement shoots up. Employees who can keep developing often feel more valued and therefore more engaged with their work and the company.

And you can see that in motivation, loyalty, and productivity.

How do you approach reskilling in your factory?

The great thing about reskilling existing staff: the people are already in-house. They know the company, the processes, and the culture. All they need is the right training to develop new skills and learn to handle new tasks and responsibilities. 

Well, we have a few tips for you!

1. Make the training hands-on

The average production employee is not a ‘daydreamer’ who is used to sitting for hours with their nose in the books or behind a screen. New knowledge or skills simply have to work in daily practice, that’s what it’s about. To make sure the retraining program truly meets the need, it’s a good idea to involve your employees in putting together a retraining path in advance. Ask them what they run into or are satisfied with, what they’re curious about, and how they think their work will change in the future. Such an inventory can of course be done face-to-face, but it can also be rolled out digitally, with an online survey, an employee satisfaction survey, or (if it concerns a single topic) a poll in WhatsApp, for example.

2. A personal development plan for true customization

Reskilling must align seamlessly with the development needs and opportunities of the individual employee. You do that not only by building on the knowledge and experience already present, but also by factoring in culture, personal circumstances, and preferred learning method when putting together the retraining path. Individual attention for the employee is therefore important fuel to keep the development engine running. As soon as you notice big changes coming up in the production process, technology, or task package, it’s time to sit down one-on-one with employees to create a personal development plan. By zooming in on what someone truly wants from their career, how knowledge sinks in best (are they a reader, a watcher, a listener, or a roll-up-your-sleeves type?), and what knowledge and experience is already there, a personalized roadmap to get from role A to role B emerges almost automatically. Very handy, for both the organization and the employee. 

3. Modular means flexible

It’s smart to build reskilling from different modules. Every employee can then join and keep learning in the way that suits them best. You can more easily ‘play’ with the pace of the lessons, but also with language level, knowledge level, and the way the material is offered. Try to think out of the box here. For example, it’s not always necessary (let alone practical) to sit in a classroom together for hours; make use of the flexible possibilities of e-learning instead. That way, you can adapt a reskilling path very flexibly not only to technological or organizational developments, but also to individual learning needs. Learning independent of time and place is also ideal given the irregular shifts found in most factories.

Using a flipped classroom, where the employee goes through the learning material beforehand in their own time and at their own pace and then puts what they’ve learned into practice, also fits the idea of personal retraining perfectly. 

4. Step by step: microlearning

Don’t rush right in. Most people are creatures of habit and need some time to get used to a new set of tasks, let alone a completely different role. So approach reskilling step by step and use the power of repetition. We are, for example, big fans of so-called microlearnings: small bites of information that you offer regularly in an appealing package (see the next tip). Offer the smaller knowledge snacks in all kinds of ways at different moments: during a work meeting, in mailings, in an instructional video on the shop floor, or on a flyer on the bulletin board in the break room. This variety prevents the information from becoming ‘white noise’ that is no longer noticed. 

5. Make it fun!

Of course, reskilling is serious business. But that doesn't mean it has to be boring! If you surprise people with your approach, you're sure to grab their attention and keep them from nodding off. For example, by occasionally incorporating a funny situation into the training, having a colleague star in an instructional video, or using gamification, information suddenly becomes a lot more engaging and, more importantly, easier to remember. Another great trigger is offering a reward upon completing a course or training. No, that doesn't necessarily have to be in the form of extra cash. An old-school certificate (even better: printed and framed!) provides that extra sense of reward that motivates someone to keep learning.

6. Social learning

Make use of social learning: people learn most effectively through interaction and collaboration. You can apply this insight in various ways. For instance, use a mentor to transfer knowledge personally, organize a "lunch and learn" where colleagues catch up informally during their break, and provide a chat feature in e-learning modules so employees can exchange experiences.

7. A learning culture as part of your company culture

Reskilling is not a one-time event, but a way of looking at work and development. Especially in a rapidly changing environment—like manufacturing—it is important to view learning as a natural part of the company culture. This starts with properly facilitating your employees in terms of retraining and upskilling. Provide them with the right tools and ensure you get them into—and keep them in—the right mindset.

Regularly refresh the content on your knowledge platform with the latest industry trends and developments, and lower the barrier to learning by offering sufficient study time and engaging course materials.

Need more ideas to get your factory and your people ready for the future?

Could you use some extra inspiration when it comes to retraining? No problem, because training and learning is our core business! Experience the power of Pluvo for yourself! Click here for a demo or call +31 (20) 560 5001.

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