Published in: PERSONALFÜHRUNG 12/2024-01/2025 (Link to the magazine)
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The Growing Importance of Learning in Organizations

Learning within organizations is becoming increasingly crucial to ensure adequate employee qualifications and long-term competitiveness. Unlike centralized or externally conducted training programs, internal skill academies offer a comprehensive and scalable solution for upskilling across all job-relevant skills.

In a rapidly changing work environment, corporate training is one of the top challenges in HR management (DGFP 2024; Mercer 2024). Technological advancements and the increasing availability of artificial intelligence (AI) are driving continuous changes in job profiles and the skills required for them. According to the World Economic Forum, nearly a quarter of all jobs will undergo transformation by 2027, emphasizing a "reskilling revolution" in terms of the scope and speed of the necessary qualifications (WEF 2023).

Many companies recognize the critical role of both individual and collective readiness and the ability to engage in lifelong learning for their sustainability in a connected knowledge society. As a result, strategic investments in human capital are gaining importance.

Key questions arise:

• How can changes in skill requirements be identified early?
• What measures can close skill gaps in the workforce both in the short and long term?

Additionally, employees must develop and sustain a constant readiness to learn and adapt. Given the shortage of skilled workers, recruiting external talent for certain job profiles is often an insurmountable challenge. Many organizations, therefore, invest in the internal training and development of their employees. This approach—focusing on nurturing existing talent rather than constantly hiring new staff—not only saves time and money but also enhances the company’s long-term attractiveness as an employer.

Skills and Competencies: Core Concepts

Programs for professional development and retraining have recently gained significant attention under the terms upskilling and reskilling. Both aim to prepare employees for future challenges by teaching new skills (Müller / Grünewald 2024).

• Upskilling typically involves acquiring new or improving existing skills directly relevant to an employee's current role or industry. The goal is to advance careers or enhance performance in the current position.
• Reskilling refers to learning entirely new skills outside an employee's current domain, often with the aim of transitioning to a different role or industry (Müller / Grünewald 2024).

The distinction between "skill" and "competence" is often blurred in practice, with the terms frequently used interchangeably in corporate settings (Dworschak et al. 2023). This also applies to the concepts of competence management and skill management.

Competence, as a construct studied across multiple disciplines, is generally understood at the individual level as a person's ability to act. It manifests in successfully meeting specific work demands and requires relevant abilities, skills, and knowledge (Kauffeld / Paulsen 2018).

In contrast, skills refer to the application of knowledge to complete tasks (WEF 2019). When focused on employees' professional expertise—divided into knowledge and skills—they describe what is needed to accomplish a task. Competence, however, tends to address how tasks are completed (Erpenbeck et al. 2017).

Future Skills: A Key to Success

The term future skills encompasses abilities, skills, and attributes that will become increasingly vital in professional and personal contexts over the coming years (Ehlers 2020). For example, the Future Skills Framework developed by the Stifterverband and McKinsey identifies 21 competencies in four categories:

1. Classical Competencies (e.g., problem-solving, creativity)
2. Digital Key Competencies (e.g., digital literacy, digital ethics)
3. Technological Competencies (e.g., data analytics, artificial intelligence)
4. Transformative Competencies (e.g., judgment, dialogue, and conflict resolution)

Among these, transformative competencies are becoming increasingly significant for organizations (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft / McKinsey 2021).