Since the beginning of the pandemic, global labour market trends show an increased number of workers leaving or planning to leave their jobs. Citing a recent Future Forum survey, CNN Business reported 53% of workers in France and 55% of workers in Germany and Japan are open to looking for new jobs in 2022. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 4.4 million quits in the month of February 2022, while Australian workers who changed roles in 2021 saw an 8% to 10% increase in salary.

As more workers reassess job options in an evolving global economy, they are looking for organisations with employee-centric policies and initiatives, from flexible work arrangements to diversity, equity, and inclusivity programmes. Opportunities to upskill and reskill are proving to be a major consideration for active job seekers, as well as employees deciding whether to remain at a company. A 2021 report by Strada found that 65% of the U.S. workforce doesn’t have a bachelor’s degree, and nearly half feels they need additional education to advance their careers. Of those Americans who are considering furthering their education, 37% prefer skills training.

Many global organisations are responding to the demand for skills training. In 2021, 59% of learning and development professionals identified upskilling and reskilling as their top priority, and some of the largest global companies (including JP Morgan, Amazon, and IBM) are investing millions in programmes to upskill and reskill employees. Leaders who want to prevent turnover recognise the importance of supporting employee growth and development with skills training. And with a growing number of job openings — including a record 1.3 million vacancies in the UK from December 2021 to February 2022 — upskilling and reskilling is not only crucial to employee satisfaction, but also to support the future success of organisations in a post-pandemic world.

A January 2022 Forbes article describes the connection between skills development and team member satisfaction: “Companies that have a real future focus on having a dynamic skills taxonomy will constantly update the team’s skills, and in doing so, the employee experience.” By investing in skills development, either with company-specific development programmes or training for universally recognised certifications, organisations can help employees’ achieve education goals and keep skills profiles current.

According to LinkedIn’s 2021 Workplace Learning Report, 60% of employees believe that learning makes them more capable of adapting to change, and skills related to digital fluency and tech proficiency can help employees who are no longer in strategic roles transition to high-value roles. For employees who hope to advance within an organisation, learning and development programmes provide an opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications to increase their earning potential. 

Upskilling programmes are helping employees become more agile and resilient to change, but these programmes are also contributing to the overall sustainability of organisations in a post-pandemic era. The digital credential programme at IBM, for example, serves to “to increase employee recognition, motivate skill progression and make the IT workforce more inclusive.” Beyond providing employees with skills-development opportunities, these credentials are also used to assess team members’ overall skills readiness prior to launching new technology initiatives in the company.

As organisations set goals for the future, learning and development programmes allow team members to acquire the skills they need to be successful while improving employee satisfaction, which can help companies retain talent in the era of the Great Resignation. And developing the skills of each employee results in a stronger skills profile for the entire organisation, making companies more resilient to challenges, more adaptable to changes, and well-positioned for strategic growth. 

There are a number of methods to help employees learn necessary skills, including courses, training sessions, and professional certification programmes. Organisations with upskilling and reskilling programmes may also rely on assessments to determine that employees have earned the necessary qualifications. And with an increasingly hybrid and remote workforce, online learning and testing can help to ensure employees have flexible and accessible options to upskill.

For organisations that offer upskilling and reskilling for promotions or pay increases, it’s important to ensure that any high-stakes exams delivered online are secure. Without a reliable method to secure online assessments, organisations have no way of knowing whether employees referenced a cheat sheet or retrieved answers from a search engine. This devalues the upskilling process and may result in employees being unprepared for any company initiatives that require these skills.

With a solution for online proctoring, organisations can reap the benefits of flexible and accessible testing while ensuring integrity in the upskilling process. Depending on the need, there are automated and live proctoring options available for online testing. Automated solutions use technology designed to record exam sessions and document any unusual sounds or movements. With a solution for live proctoring, exam sessions are screened by a trained invigilators, who can supervise and interact with exam-takers in real time. 

ProctorExam’s online proctoring services help organisations secure high-stakes exams while allowing remote and hybrid employees to test from the convenience of home, using their own devices. With customisable monitoring options, organisations can select from proctoring services that help preserve integrity in the upskilling process, allowing employees to achieve professional milestones and helping to future-proof the entire organisation.