Employee Retention Strategies with a Focus on Upskilling Internally

Sarah Harvey

Monday, August 4th, 2025

In today’s fast-changing economy defined by disruption and uncertainty, keeping your best people is critical. That’s why employee retention strategies with a focus on upskilling internally are becoming a top priority for companies that want to remain competitive.

Instead of constantly recruiting new talent, leading businesses are investing in their current employees, helping them grow through upskilling programs, learning and development, and clear career paths.

Why Internal Upskilling is a Key to Retention

Many companies lose valuable team members because they don’t offer enough career development or growth opportunities. When employees feel valued and see a future inside the company, they are more likely to stay. Upskilling is one of the most effective employee retention strategies because it builds confidence, closes skills gaps, and supports professional growth. At Degreed, we’ve understood this since Day One.

With Degreed, you can build a flexible and scalable upskilling ecosystem that empowers your people through:

Personalized learning programs and training opportunities
Tools for engagement—tracking development, building career paths, and offering mentorship programs
Seamless access to learning and skill development in the flow of work

Retaining High Performers with Career Growth Paths

One of the biggest reasons employees quit is a lack of clear career advancement. Degreed enables organizations to provide structured, skill-based development programs that help top talent grow into leadership positions. When employees feel like their employer is invested in their futures, it leads to higher employee satisfaction, stronger employee engagement, and better business outcomes.

How Upskilling Supports Company Culture and Well-Being

A strong company culture isn’t built only through perks. It’s built when employees feel empowered, supported, and trusted. When businesses focus on upskilling employees, they create an environment that promotes job satisfaction, job security, and long-term loyalty.

Supporting work life balance through flexible schedules, wellness programs, and professional development opportunities helps build an employee experience that lasts. Degreed supports these efforts by delivering the right content, at the right time.

Encouraging Internal Mobility to Boost Retention

Internal mobility gives your current employees a reason to stay and grow with you. It turns development opportunities into action and transferable skills into new roles. By upskilling current employees, you reduce the costs of the hiring process and avoid lost productivity that comes with high employee turnover.

Degreed enables:

Easy mapping of existing skills to potential roles
AI-powered recommendations for career growth
Tools for promoting internal mobility at scale

Retaining Employees by Meeting Their Career Goals

When businesses support professional development and align it with personal career goals, employees remain engaged and motivated. Degreed helps HR leaders, training managers, and L&D teams create learning plans that match business needs with individual aspirations.

Key features of Degreed that help retain employees include:

Customized learning and development plans
On-demand access to training programs and education benefits
Personal learning budgets for tuition and expenses

Upskilling Builds a Stronger, More Confident Workforce

Many employees want to grow—they just need the support and structure to get there. With Degreed, employee upskilling becomes a natural part of everyday work. It helps to boost employee confidence, reinforce employee engagement, and ensure employees experience a sense of progress in their current jobs.

Final Thoughts

If you want to boost employee retention, start by investing in your people. A strong learning strategy, backed by smart tech like Degreed, helps companies become skills-based organizations ready for the future. By focusing on upskilling internally, companies can build loyal teams, improve performance, and drive long-term business success.

In short, employee retention strategies with a focus on upskilling internally aren’t just a trend. They’re the competitive edge modern enterprises need.