Thought Leadership

As the pace of change continues to escalate, one of the hottest workplace training trends right now is upskilling, reskilling and new-skilling. But what do each of these concepts mean?

Upskilling involves enhancing an employee’s existing skills to help them advance in their current role or field. This can include learning new technologies, improving soft skills or gaining advanced knowledge in a specific area. The goal is to keep employees competitive and prepared for future challenges within their current career path.

Reskilling, on the other hand, involves training employees in new skills so they can transition to different roles within the organization. This is particularly useful when certain job roles become obsolete or when the company needs to pivot to new business areas.

New-skilling is an emerging concept that focuses on a continuous learning mindset, enabling organizations and employees to stay agile and adaptable in the face of evolving challenges. Unlike upskilling and reskilling, which are often targeted at specific skills or roles, new-skilling emphasizes a broader, ongoing approach to learning and development.

The Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Training at UW-Green Bay is committed to upskilling, reskill and new-skilling with a goal of providing practical, locally-focused education that responds to the specific career and workforce needs.

This post was written with research assistance from Microsoft Co-pilot and Indeed.

Most of us spend at least eight hours a day at work, so why not be happy? The key to being happy at work is developing a combination of personal strategy with taking advantage of available resources.

We offer three quick tips:

• Set clear goals for yourself: Having clear, achievable goals
  can provide a sense of purpose and direction in your work.
  Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps to
  make progress more visible and rewarding (Symonds Research).
• Seek Feedback and Growth Opportunities: Regularly seek
  feedback from colleagues and supervisors to understand areas of improvement and recognize your strengths. Engage in professional development opportunities to advance your skills and career (Valamis).
• Build Positive Relationships: Cultivate positive relationships
  with your colleagues. Strong workplace friendships can provide support, increase job satisfaction, and create a more enjoyable work environment (Thirst).

In today’s dynamic workforce landscape, professional development has become a vital tool for organizations to stay competitive and ensure employee retention and growth. However, the success of these programs doesn’t solely rely on their design or the expertise of trainers; the participant’s willingness to learn can play a pivotal role in their effectiveness. It’s the individuals’ enthusiasm, engagement, and proactive approach that turn training into a transformative experience.

Working in the training and development industry, it can be interesting to see how people find their way into professional development opportunities. There are those who are motivated intrinsically, looking to expand their knowledge and skills for their own benefit. And then there are those extrinsically motivated, looking for a raise, a promotion, or more prestige from their employer or colleagues. People will come by their own choice, by recommendation, or required by their organization. Sometimes they come alone, others with their team, or as a group representing an organization. People from all walks of life may find their way into professional development opportunities, but there is one thing they all have in common: the opportunity to grow from the experience lies within each of them.

You might find yourself intrinsically or extrinsically motivated, or maybe both, but you hold the key. Whether it is seeking personal growth, a promotion, or representing an organization that wants to stay on top of their industry, a willingness to learn is the driving force behind finding success. And so, seize the opportunities before you, or find the means to show others the opportunities that could propel them towards their own goals and aspirations.

*

UW-Green Bay’s Continuing Education and Workforce Training Division is continuously looking for ways to stay on the cutting edge of professional development for its clients. Be sure to check out the continuing education website, and reach out if you have ideas for new content you want to see! https://www.uwgb.edu/continuing-education/

*

Writing/Research Credit: Christopher Ledvina, UW-Green Bay Business Development Specialist

Social media often gets a bad reputation for being a place filled with unnecessary or unhealthy communication. However, social media can also provide opportunities for connections across great distances and allow for the exchange of ideas from people of all walks of life and cultures. Today I want to share just a few ideas for what you can do to make new connections or find more content to build your professional social media skills up!

1. 1. #Hashtags – Searching for a certain phrase using a hashtag, such as #communicationskills or #servantleadership, is a great way to find content and people who are interested in those topics! In some cases, you can even follow certain hashtags to have content brought directly to your social media page, which makes the content more personalized but allows you to see a more diverse group of people’s posts.
   2. Association of… – By searching for “Association of…” followed by the topic you are interested in you could be introduced to a number of groups and organizations that are doing amazing things in your area of interest, but may not be in your region or even county! This could be a great way to get new ideas or new perspectives, and it works for all sorts of phrases such as “Organization of…”, “Club for…”, etc.
   3. Don’t be afraid to comment – Once you find a page, group, or organization that you are interested in, don’t be afraid to comment on their posts! This shows others in the community that you are interested, which can lead to additional connections. It also can boost the number of posts that you see on your page about the topics you enjoy.

Social media provides an exceptional way to connect with new people, new ideas, and new places in professional development. Take some time to look at how you are interacting with your social media pages and learn how you can expand your learning environment!

*

UW-Green Bay’s Continuing Education and Community Engagement Division is continuously looking for ways to stay on the cutting edge of professional development for its clients. Be sure to check out the CECE website below, and reach out if you have ideas for new content you want to see! https://www.uwgb.edu/continuing-education/

*

Writing/Research Credit: Christopher Ledvina, UW-Green Bay Business Development Specialist

As much as I hate to say it, summer is going to come to a close soon. For many people that means a return to school, less time with the family and more time in the office, but it doesn’t have to include a lack of planning! Goal setting shouldn’t be a yearly process meant for New Year’s resolutions, or annual strategic planning sessions. Having a good process for goal setting can be used anytime, whether you are revisiting once a year, month, or whenever makes sense. Here are a few strategies you can use to start creating goals that you can count on:

1. 1. SMART Goals have received a ton of attention, and for good reason! The process of creating a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART) leads to a great foundation of information for you to create action steps from. There are tons of websites and free resources dedicated to creating SMART goals as well, including this great article on MindTools.com
   2. A similar process to SMART goals is the PACT method. The acronym stands for Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, and Trackable and is great for long-term personal goals. For more information about the PACT method, check out this article from the National Society of Leadership and Success.
   3. A final alternative goal setting method is the “5 W’s” technique. This process requires you to start with a simple idea of your goal, then asking yourself a series of questions based on the five W questions: Who, What, Where, When and Why. Answering questions based on these ideas can do wonders to solidify how you will approach your goals in the future. This article from LinkedIn does a great job of explaining questions you can ask yourself to get started!

There isn’t one goal setting process that’s better than another, it all depends on your goals and what makes the most sense for you. However, taking the time to set your goals, and planning for reflection and revision, goes a long way towards accomplishing them!

*

UW-Green Bay’s Continuing Education and Community Engagement Division (CECE) is always looking for ways to stay on the cutting edge of professional development for our clients. Be sure to check out the CECE website below, and reach out if you have ideas for new content you want to see! https://www.uwgb.edu/continuing-education/

*

Ways to Effectively Set and Achieve Your Goals

Writing/Research Credit: Christopher Ledvina, UW-Green Bay Business Development Specialist