Key Takeaways:
- 3,964 employee survey responses make up this year's Best Workplaces™ for Professional Development list.
- 93% of employees say they're offered training and development to further themselves professionally.
- 92% say people quickly adapt to the changes needed for their organization's success — the AI-era advantage.
- 92% say management recognizes honest mistakes as part of doing business, and 90% say experimentation is celebrated regardless of outcome.
- 90% want to stay with their organization for a long time — development drives retention.
Despite AI’s incursion, the workplace is still very much human. Yes, workflows are changing and jobs are being reshaped, but people are still the drivers of this change. And people with the right skills will determine an organization’s success. So, along with all the discussion and planning around using technology to improve efficiencies and outcomes, there is an equally, if not more, compelling human question: How do we help our people navigate AI-era change?
An important part of the answer is through continuing professional development. Whether it’s upskilling or reskilling, today’s Best Workplaces™ go beyond offering training as a perk and instead make skills development a strategic and cultural priority. They recognize that employees are legitimately worried whether their skills are still relevant and whether their role will change or even continue to exist. People across jobs and industries wonder: Does my organization see me as part of its future?
With these sorts of questions looming, traditional development opportunities like an occasional workshop or even an annual training day aren’t enough to alleviate people’s anxiety. What people need now is a culture of learning, adapting and experimenting in the face of change. They need regular discussions about growth opportunities and career direction; solid plans for acquiring the skills they need to be successful and confident; and a culture that supports them as they learn, adapt, practice, make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and keep moving the needle forward.
Unsurprisingly, the 25 organizations on our Best Workplaces™ for Professional Development list are hitting the mark in these key areas as supported by almost 4,000 employee survey responses:
| Commitment to Learning | Commitment to Adaptation | Commitment to Experimentation |
|---|---|---|
| 93% agree they are offered training and development to further themselves professionally. 92% agree they are given a lot of responsibility. |
92% agree people quickly adapt to changes needed for their organization’s success. 92% say management recognizes honest mistakes as part of doing business. |
90% agree they celebrate people who try new and better ways of doing things, regardless of the outcome. |
The payoff? Retention! 90% say they want to stay with their organization for a long time.
The key? Understanding that upskilling and reskilling are effective pieces within a broader culture of development.
What is Upskilling and Reskilling?
While these terms are often used interchangeably, they are different and they send different messages.
Upskilling
Upskilling – helps people get better at the work they already do.
- A marketing manager learns generative AI to develop campaign ideas, better understand customer segmentation and analyze consumer data.
- An electrician learns about the newest smart-building technology and how to install the systems and sensors required for today’s connected buildings.
Reskilling
Reskilling – prepares people for future work requirements.
- An administrative assistant whose routine tasks are being automated by AI, learns project management software, data analysis and budgeting to move into a project coordination role.
- A machine operator learns computer control systems, equipment diagnostics and some basic programming to maintain, troubleshoot and support the production line.
Upskilling is important for many of today’s roles, however, in the absence of other development programs it may tell people they have a job until their job doesn’t exist anymore. Reskilling sends a more proactive message whereby, no matter how much a person’s job changes, they have a place within the organization. Combined within a culture of development, employees are able to build the skills they want and need, knowing that long-term growth within the organization is possible.
Development Culture
Upskilling and reskilling are most powerful as part of a broader culture of continuing professional development where employees are active participants in their career growth; identifying the skills they want or need to develop, exploring different career paths, actively trying new things, and taking on new challenges.
In a development culture, growth is part of the everyday employee experience. It is more than a course or conference taken in addition to the demands of a regular workload. It isn’t treated as a perk or a day off ‘real’ work. Time spent learning and growing is seen as integral to the success of the business, not an interruption to it. People are encouraged to experiment with new technology, practice new skills, and suggest ways to use AI even more rigorously. If mistakes are made or technologies fall short of expectations, they are framed as learning opportunities.
In a development culture people clearly see their future within the organization. Programs like mentoring, coaching, stretch assignments and career pathing are paired with upskilling and reskilling creating opportunities for employees to understand both what they can learn, and where that learning can take them. People are more likely to stay and build their career when they are clear about what that career looks like.
Here are some ways to encourage a culture of development in your organization:
- Audit skills with the future in mind. Are there general skills that will help your people future-proof their career? How can you best support your people to learn them?
- Reward learning, not just results. Do you reward skill development? Do people have dedicated learning time? Is learning part of formal outcomes and expectations?
- Encourage innovative thinking. Are new ideas actively promoted? Do people feel supported to try new things and potentially make mistakes?
- Address barriers to learning. Do people feel anxious learning new skills? What can you do to ensure people feel supported in their learning journey?
- Make career paths visible. Do people know what career paths are available? Are you updating paths and associated skills as new technologies emerge?
- Make internal mobility easy. Do you offer cross functional training? Are stretch assignments available? Do you match internal candidates with open positions?
- Allow employees to own their learning. Do people have learning accounts? Are they encouraged to share their knowledge and skills with their team?
- Empower managers to develop their people. Is development an ongoing conversation? Are managers held accountable for their teams’ learning?
Creating a culture of development is mostly about intention and investing in your people today because you believe in their future potential. It is about open conversations that help people understand what is changing and outlining how you can support them through the change. Indeed, AI driven change has been the catalyst for much pondering around the future of work. What jobs will exist? What skills will we need? Will the pace of change ever ease? Not even AI itself can provide an accurate prediction of what the future workplace will look like! Rather than trying, a better response is to build a workforce capable of adapting to change, period.
Whether upskilling, reskilling, training or developing, a culture of development will be key to building a future-proof workforce. Good companies will use upskilling to help their people grow with their roles. Great companies will reskill, helping people grow beyond their role. The Best Workplaces™ will connect upskilling and reskilling to a broader culture of development where people learn continuously, adapt as necessary, and experiment boldly knowing their future within the organization matters, no matter how the workplace changes.
Tools & Resources
- Employee Survey: Use employee surveys to measure whether people actually feel offered training and development, whether they are given the responsibility and space to practice new skills, and whether honest mistakes are treated as part of learning — the exact statements that separate this year’s list winners from typical workplaces.
- Culture Consulting: Culture consulting helps leaders move from one-off training days to a genuine culture of development — auditing skills with the future in mind, making career paths visible, and building the internal mobility that makes reskilling a real option instead of a promise.
- Employee Engagement: Strong engagement practices keep people active participants in their own growth during AI-driven change — asking for the skills they need, experimenting with new tools, and staying confident that their future within the organization matters.
- Best Workplaces™ for Professional Development: See the 25 Canadian organizations that made this year’s list, and benchmark your own development culture against a group where 93% of employees say they are offered training and development to further themselves professionally.
Feedback
Your feedback matters to us! It helps us refine our resources to better address workplace challenges and close the skills gap effectively. Did this article give you a clearer picture of how upskilling, reskilling, and a broader culture of development fit together in the AI era? Are there specific aspects of professional development — career pathing, internal mobility, manager accountability — you’d like us to explore further? Share your thoughts and help us create content that aligns with your organizational needs. Have feedback? Fill out this form by clicking here.
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Want to know whether your people feel genuinely supported to learn, adapt, and grow — or whether development is being experienced as an interruption to ‘real’ work? Get Certified today, then find out whether your organization belongs on the Best Workplaces™ for Professional Development List.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the difference between upskilling and reskilling?
Upskilling helps people get better at the work they already do — a marketing manager learning generative AI for campaign ideation, or an electrician learning smart-building technology. Reskilling prepares people for future work requirements — an administrative assistant moving into project coordination, or a machine operator learning control systems and diagnostics. Upskilling grows people within their role; reskilling grows them beyond it.
Why does AI make upskilling and reskilling more urgent?
AI is reshaping workflows and roles faster than most career plans were built to handle, and employees are legitimately worried about whether their skills are still relevant. At the Best Workplaces™ for Professional Development, 92% of employees say people quickly adapt to changes needed for their organization's success — because development is already built into how they work, not bolted on after the disruption.
What is a culture of development?
A culture of development is one where growth is part of the everyday employee experience rather than a perk or a day off 'real' work. Employees identify the skills they want to build, explore career paths, take on stretch assignments, and experiment with new tools — and time spent learning is treated as integral to the success of the business, not an interruption to it.
How does professional development affect employee retention?
Directly. At the Best Workplaces™ for Professional Development, 90% of employees say they want to stay with their organization for a long time. People are more likely to stay and build their career when they are clear about what that career looks like — and when they can see the organization investing in getting them there.
Why do employees need psychological safety to reskill successfully?
Learning a new skill means being visibly bad at something for a while, and that only works when mistakes are safe. On this year's list, 92% of employees say management recognizes honest mistakes as part of doing business and 90% say their organization celebrates people who try new and better ways of doing things, regardless of the outcome. Without that safety net, people default to what they already know.
Where should we start if we don't have a development strategy yet?
Start by auditing skills with the future in mind, then make career paths and internal mobility visible so people can see where learning leads. Pair that with dedicated learning time, manager accountability for team development, and an employee survey to find out where your people actually feel stuck. Intention comes first; programs follow.
