The #1 Way to Upskill Every Employee
When it comes to upskilling, there’s good news and bad news. The good news? People are more willing than ever to learn new skills at work. In fact, according to the latest McKinsey American Opportunity Survey (AOS), 42% of respondents express interest in upskilling or say they’re currently looking for upskilling opportunities.
The bad news? Companies haven’t done a great job providing upskilling opportunities to employees. Over $300 billion globally is spent annually on corporate education accordiong to the Harvard Business Review, yet most training ends with onboarding. When companies do invest in upskilling, it’s typically done in a single-session classroom setting.
While in-person training may have worked in the past, it’s not built for today’s fast-paced, hybrid workplaces. Not only is it hard to scale and tough to personalize, it doesn’t offer a way to track who’s actually growing. That’s why more organizations are turning to employee training platforms to deliver flexible, upskilling opportunities that employees can access anytime, from anywhere. This approach empowers employees to take charge of their career trajectory, while giving leaders like you the visibility needed to spot top talent and promote from within.
To begin reimagining what upskilling could look like at your organization, let’s explore what upskilling is, how it helps both employees and organizations, and the absolute best way to upskill your employees ASAP. Let’s begin!
First, what’s the difference between upskilling, reskilling, and cross-skilling?
You may have heard these terms used interchangeably, but each type of learning plays a unique role in employee development. Knowing the difference can help you build a smarter workforce training strategy.
What is upskilling?
Upskilling means building on an employee’s existing skills to help them grow in their current role or prepare them for a more advanced one. For example, a top-level customer service representative may need some upskilling in how to lead a team so they can be primed to enter a managerial role in the future. Another example may be a bartender learning more advanced mixology skills or deepening their beverage knowledge to provide a more specialized service to their patrons. This type of learning is all about leveling up within a well-defined path.
What is reskilling?
Reskilling is a bit different from upskilling. It’s about learning new skills for an entirely different role, often due to changing business needs or job functions. For example, instead of upskilling a customer service representative, it may make more sense to the business to reskill them into becoming a marketing coordinator. For rapidly-changing businesses, this type of training can help keep knowledgable team members employed as departments dissolve or evolve.
What is cross-skilling?
Cross-skilling (also known as cross-training) allows employees to learn skills outside their immediate role. This makes them more flexible, collaborative, and valuable to the business. A great example? A front desk receptionist learning basic POS functions or a server learning scheduling software. This kind of training boosts team agility and keeps operations running smoothly, even when someone’s out or roles shift.
Why upskilling matters more than ever
When it comes to upskilling, the workforce is more primed than ever to level-up their skills. The landscape of work is changing — and fast. Between rapid automation, evolving technology, and shifting job requirements, the pressure is on for both employees and employers to keep up.
Interestingly, the World Economic Forum predicted in 2022 that more than 50% of all employees worldwide will need upskilling or reskilling by 2025. Well, it’s 2025 and many organizations are still working on digital transformation in how they train employees, let alone investing in upskilingl them.
The reality is that companies can no longer rely on hiring alone to fill skill gaps. The competition for top talent is fierce, and many organizations are finding that the skills they need simply aren’t available in the job market. That’s why the smartest move isn’t to look outward; it’s to invest inward.
As the Harvard Business Review puts it, businesses should treat upskilling as a strategic investment, not an expense. By developing the talent you already have, you build a more resilient, future-ready workforce — and show your employees that growth isn’t just possible within your organization, it’s expected.
Why eLearning is the #1 way to upskill your talent
So, what’s the number one way to upskill your employees today? eLearning! Using a digital learning platform or learning management system (LMS) that provides on-demand, on-brand learning opportunities for every role can help your employees level up and keep them engaged with your business.
eLearning is such a powerful tool for upskilling in today’s fast-paced — and highly competitive — workforce. With a digital learning platform, employees can access training anytime, anywhere, whether they’re working remotely, on the floor, or in between shifts. It’s especially valuable for mobile, deskless, or hybrid teams who need training that fits into their day, not the other way around.
eLearning also empowers employees to move at their own pace. Self-paced courses reduce the pressure to “get it right the first time” and increase engagement by allowing learners to pause, rewind, or review content as needed. And with role-specific, skills-based learning paths, your team members can focus on the skills that actually matter to their career growth and their performance in your organization.
Believe it or not, this approach works across generations. McKinsey data shows that older workers (ages 55–64) prefer online learning platforms like Coursera for certifications, while younger employees lean into social learning tools like LinkedIn and YouTube. A strong eLearning strategy can accommodate both preferences, meeting every learner where they are and helping them build the skills to thrive.
How tracking learning drives growth
One of the biggest advantages of using an employee training platform is the visibility you get into how your team is learning and growing. With built-in analytics, you can track progress, recognize learners’ efforts, and make more informed decisions about how to support and promote your people.
Here’s how tracking upskilling via real-time data can support your business growth:
Track who’s engaging with training: See who’s completing courses, earning certifications, and advancing their skills.
Spot your high performers: Identify team members who consistently go above and beyond (i.e. prime candidates for leadership or new opportunities).
Personalize coaching: Use data to tailor feedback, guide 1:1s, and support employees based on their unique learning progress.
Empower self-directed growth: When employees can see their own progress and set their own pace, they take more ownership of their development.
When you can see the data behind how your team is learning, you can better support their goals (and yours).
Get started upskilling your team today
If you're ready to make learning an always-available part of your culture, the next step is choosing how to deliver it: build your own platform or partner with a provider.
Building a platform from scratch gives you full control, but it’s a major investment requiring time, budget, and in-house tech expertise. You’ll also need to create or license all your own content and handle ongoing updates and maintenance.
That’s why many growing businesses choose to partner with a provider like ExpandShare, a Restaurant365 Company, designed to help you hit the ground running with a modern, mobile-friendly solution.
Here’s what ExpandShare offers:
Option 1: Plug-and-play library. Access a pre-built catalog of training courses covering soft skills, compliance, and operations, ready to roll out to your team.
Option 2: Custom content with Pro Services. Work with our team to create branded, role-specific training paths tailored to your organization’s needs and voice.
Both options include mobile accessibility, real-time analytics, and the scalability to grow with your business, so you can start upskilling today and keep building momentum tomorrow.
The future of employee growth is always-on
Upskilling doesn’t have to be complicated, it just needs to be accessible. A digital employee training platform delivers flexible, personalized, and trackable training experiences that meet your team where they are. When employees can learn anywhere, anytime, they build confidence, grow faster, and stay more engaged. And as a leader, you gain clear visibility into who’s taking initiative and who’s ready for the next step.
Ready to upskill the talent you already have? Explore how ExpandShare can help you build an always-on learning culture that empowers employees, supports internal advancement, and drives long-term retention.
