Social Sustainability
Upskilling
Definition
Upskilling is the process of expanding workers' skills — through training, education and on-the-job learning — so they can perform their current roles to higher standards or move into more advanced roles in the same field, distinct from reskilling (training for a different occupation). In the sustainability transition it addresses the skills transformation across every sector: electricians becoming EV and heat pump installers, construction workers learning retrofit, farmers adopting precision and agroecological methods, finance staff acquiring ESG competence.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Upskilling” is defined and used.
Source imported for editorial provenance.
Overview
How it is used
The concept structures corporate training strategy, vocational education policy, sector skills councils, and just transition planning.
Why it matters
The transition will be built by today's workforce or delayed by its absence; upskilling is how it becomes the former.