{"id":61050,"date":"2019-12-19T23:54:03","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T23:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explore.local\/2019\/12\/19\/top-10-resources-2019-upskilling-your-workforce\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T19:29:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T19:29:22","slug":"top-10-resources-2019-upskilling-your-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/degreed.com\/experience\/de\/blog\/top-10-resources-2019-upskilling-your-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":"That\u2019s a Wrap: The Top 10 Resources of 2019 for Upskilling Your Workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As I look back on 2019, I think about what a year it\u2019s been for companies who are in the middle of major digital transformations, facing the challenge of upskilling and reskilling the workforce of the future. I spend much of my time speaking about and doing research on the future of learning and work, which leads me to countless resources related to this topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s an overwhelming amount of content available, and as busy professionals, it\u2019s often difficult to keep up with all the new research, papers, and trends. So instead of sifting through pages of search results and email blasts, I\u2019m bringing you the top 10 resources I\u2019ve found to be most helpful and that have influenced my thinking the most this year. These articles, podcasts, research papers, and books are extremely relevant as we think about upskilling and reskilling the workforce to prepare for the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These resources share a common theme of challenging the status quo, daring us to think beyond outdated ideas to reimagine what\u2019s possible, and offering the motivation to start putting some of these ideas into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Redefine Work: The Untapped Opportunity for Expanding Value, Deloitte<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research was conducted by the Center for the Edge<\/em>, a Deloitte think tank that generates ideas to help make sense of the emerging opportunities on the edges of business and technology. What I love most about this report is the idea that we not only need to think about skills for the jobs of today, but also fundamentally re-imagine the future of work. The trends of automation, digitization, and acceleration are dramatically changing the way we work, learn, and live. Find the full report here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. The Future of Work in America, McKinsey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

McKinsey has several features on the future of work and automation. This report stands out to me as it offers predictions for jobs, skills, and wages up to the year 2030. Find the full report here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. The Rise of Learning Tech Ecosystems, RedThread Research <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this RedThread Research report, Dani Johnson and her team identify the two main priorities for businesses around the future of work: companies need results and<\/em> employees want a better experience. These ideas don\u2019t need to be mutually exclusive; in fact, the most successful technologies are driving their vision with both of these goals in mind. Find the full report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. How the Workforce Learns, Degreed and Harvard Business Publishing <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Degreed, where I\u2019m Chief Learning Officer, <\/strong>recently conducted this research with Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning<\/em> to produce the latest report on the status of corporate learning strategies and technologies. It offers valuable insights on how the workforce is really learning every day and the results may surprise you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we consider this data when developing our upskilling<\/a> and reskilling strategies, it can help us broaden our definition of learning (hint: it\u2019s more than just classroom lectures) and understand how learning really happens. Some of the data indicates that as leaders, we need to give more autonomy to employees while still providing guidance on what skills will be most important to companies and organizations in the short term. The report also highlights why developing internal talent is the long run is good for both employees and companies. Download our full report here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. End Of Average: How to Succeed in a World that Values Sameness, Todd Rose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Todd Rose, Director of the Mind, Brain, and Education<\/em> department at Harvard, challenges the status quo of training systems in his book, The End of Average<\/em>. He argues that while no person is truly average, all the systems within businesses and societies are structured around this notion of an \u201caverage“ person. This is one of the most influential books I\u2019ve read in the past few years. It questions the validity of ideas such as grading systems, performance management models, and productivity measurement, claiming that they are not only largely arbitrary but incredibly de-motivating to us as humans. Purchase the book here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not a new book, I know. But it\u2019s more relevant than ever as one of the biggest challenges of our time is to understand human motivation when it comes to learning and building skills. The three pillars that the author, Daniel Pink, describes (autonomy, mastery, and purpose) should be a mantra for anyone looking to understand how we can really help people become lifelong, continuous learners. Purchase the book here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7. HBR IdeaCast, Harvard Business Review<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite podcast right now is HBR IdeaCast. There are new episodes weekly, featuring leading thinkers in business and management. You can find the podcast here<\/a> and I\u2019ve listed a few of my favorite episodes of 2019: <\/p>\n\n\n\n