Growth-minded organizations see recruitment as a necessary expense to support their mission and business goals. But waves of layoffs and unpredictable economic conditions have caused many organizations to shift their focus away from hiring as they try to weather the storm.

Even after the economic forecast brightens, organizations will face a growing skills shortage that is expected to worsen in the years to come. Many organizations are already experiencing challenges filling important roles. In one report, nearly 90% of executives said they are currently facing skills gaps or will be met with them within the next five years. The skills gap not only creates major concerns for employees, but also could prevent organizations from modernizing their business quickly enough to stay ahead of future upheavals.

This is where learning and development (L&D) becomes essential. In addition to bridging skills gaps, education as a benefit can help differentiate your business and aid in talent acquisition. Although L&D has long been considered a nice-to-have, engaging, comprehensive training programs are far cheaper than hiring at scale. And, it’s just as important to equip employees with the skills they need to succeed in the long term, while providing stability to your organization in the short term.

The Short- and Long-Term Benefits of Effective L&D

Most organizations recognize the value of L&D in uncertain times. However, some approaches to upskilling can create more problems than solutions.

For example, many forms of upskilling involve transitioning an employee to a new role or expanding their responsibilities through stretch assignments. But this method can backfire if organizations handle the process haphazardly. Employees may feel frustrated if they feel like they’re being asked to do more for the organization without sufficient support.

For upskilling to work, employees must view it as an opportunity — rather than a mandate they’ve been forced to complete by management.

How Can Organizations Develop Smarter L&D Programs?

Employees often see their organization’s L&D offerings as obligations that fail to connect back to their personal or professional goals. Training modules become something to check off a to-do list rather than an essential part of the employee’s weekly agenda.

By creating more actionable, engaging L&D programs, you can reverse course. Here are three strategies that can help you refresh your organization’s L&D offerings and secure buy-in from your employees:

1. Clarify the difference between competencies and skills.

One important distinction for L&D leaders is the difference between skills and competencies. A skill refers to an employee’s ability to complete a task, while a competency encompasses the skills, knowledge, attitude and behaviors an employee needs to excel in their roles.

Competencies should serve as the centerpiece of your L&D programming. Your program needs skill development, but a narrow focus on skills makes trainings less relevant for employees. For example, a teacher may have the skills to build out a lesson plan, but they also need the competency to know how to adapt teaching methods to different learning preferences.

Competencies offer actionable pathways for employee development. That’s why it’s important to focus on organizational competencies that tie back directly to business needs — and to communicate the relevance of this connection back to your employees.

2. Promote talent mobility.

Talent mobility refers to an employee’s ability to change roles within the organization. A new role could arise as a result of vertical advancements, like promotions or horizontal advancements, such as moving to a new department.

In the context of L&D, talent mobility is a valuable tool that motivates employees and reduces the need for external hiring. Offering beneficial L&D opportunities allows employees to develop skills for their role as well as other potential roles they might be interested in. L&D also helps employees more quickly adjust to their new role.

A key part of talent mobility is ensuring that employees feel comfortable speaking up about skills and interests that may fall outside of their direct job responsibilities. Creating an open environment for communication and feedback enables managers to funnel internal opportunities to their direct reports and reduces the burden to recruit.

3. Make L&D programming accessible for all employees.

Clear paths toward career advancement can help motivate employees to take advantage of L&D opportunities, but organizations must still work to integrate L&D into employee workflows. This means offering varied methods of learning, whether it involves live learning sessions, asynchronous online modules or on-the-job training. As an employee’s bandwidth fluctuates, they can choose the L&D delivery method that best suits their schedule.

Multiple options for L&D also provide insights that can help optimize your offerings over time. For example, if you notice that many of your employees are attending live knowledge-sharing sessions but not completing online modules, it could be a sign you need to make your asynchronous learning opportunities more enticing.

With a thoughtful, strategic approach, upskilling can make your organization more flexible and equipped to deal with economic headwinds. Connecting your L&D offerings to the skills employees will need to develop professionally will make employees more likely to buy in and value the clear pathways toward career development that your organization provides. Ultimately, upskilling addresses both long- and short-term labor concerns while allowing your organization to save money on hiring — and allows you to look ahead to clearer skies.