The hospitality industry is constantly changing. Is your staff ready to take on what's next? Technological advancements, changes in the job market, an increased demand for sustainable practices… Today's hospitality workers need to deal with a lot, and they need to do so gracefully if they want to continue delivering an excellent guest experience.
If you want your business to stay competitive, you need employees who are engaged, loyal, and willing to try new things. Upskilling programs are key in facilitating this.
What Are Upskilling Programs?
Upskilling programs are training programs or initiatives that allow employees to expand their skillset, stay competitive, and have more opportunities for career growth. They range from multi-year studies to one-day workshops, from formal "classroom" moments to receiving the guidance of a mentor.
Upskilling programs differ from reskilling programs in that the former are aimed at teaching missing skills employees need for their current job or improving and expanding their existing skills, while reskilling programs train employees to take on a completely different role.
Why Offer Upskilling as a Hospitality Company
Upskilling employees is crucial to guarantee a company's future success. From making sure everyone has the critical competencies required to do their job (or get a promotion), to improving employee performance, operational efficiency, and profitability.
On top of that, offering skill-building opportunities is a selling point when wanting to attract new talent.
Attract New Hires
Recent years have taught us that the balance between job offers and demand can tilt in a matter of weeks. When you have a strong employer brand, you're in a better position to compete for talent.
The training opportunities you offer are part of that brand, and hospitality businesses that offer career growth opportunities are more likely to attract quality staff.
Improve Staff Retention
Upskilling initiatives have a profound impact on employee loyalty and engagement. The LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2025 revealed that 76% of employees are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training, and a peer-reviewed research study showed a strong positive correlation between training and employee retention.
It shouldn't surprise that upskilling leads to increased employee retention. Giving someone the opportunity to learn communicates that you believe in their capabilities and value them enough that you want to invest in them. It also offers them an opportunity for growth and a chance to strengthen their career paths.
Keep up With Changing Industry Demands
The hospitality industry is constantly changing, and to stay competitive often means improving operations, implementing new technologies, and strengthening brand presence.
Leadership requirements are changing, too. Aside from having to be resilient and strategically strong, leaders now also need to develop and demonstrate excellent soft skills to achieve organizational success and employee happiness.
All of these things require various degrees of adaptation and learning. From something as concrete as mastering new software to less tangible skill-building related to mindset, behavior, and relational awareness.
Benefit From Technological Advancements
While technology won't be a part of every hospitality employee's core tasks, everyone has a responsibility to keep an eye out for innovations that could help future-proof the business.
Oftentimes, these come from new technologies, and it's been a long time since new technology had the power to change work environments so quickly and drastically as Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now. The possibilities change almost daily, and organizations need to discern which ones are relevant to them.
With everything happening so fast, it's important to keep your digital skills up to date, or you'll be left with a skills gap that's hard to close.
Grow Leaders Who Already Know the Company
There is a big upside in training your current employees so they can rise to leadership positions. They already know the company and its culture and will thus need a lot less time to get up to speed on things. According to a large Harvard Business Review study, company performance is significantly better when an insider is promoted to CEO. Another study confirmed this.
In a supportive work environment, staff are more likely to welcome one of their own as a leader, though this too can require some adaptation.
Strategies for Successful Upskilling Programs
When you notice a skills gap that leads to one or more employees underperforming, it only makes sense to have them learn those skills. But what about continuous learning and upskilling when there is no immediate necessity? And how do you make sure your upskilling programs deliver positive results for both staff and organization?
By implementing the following strategies, your chances of success greatly increase.
Align Upskilling Programs With Business Goals
One of the key benefits of upskilling programs is their ability to drive both individual and organizational growth. For that to happen, they need to be aligned with business objectives.
Some upskilling examples that benefit individual employees and the organization as a whole are:
- Upskilling customer service employees in communication, empathy, and other soft skills to improve your customer service ratings.
- Keep technical knowledge up-to-date across departments so everyone feels empowered to automate time-consuming tasks and increase the company's efficiency.
- Allow an employee to deepen their interest in sustainability so they can help the company innovate in that area.
Encourage Self-Directed Learning
Instead of only enforcing training top-down, allow staff to learn the skills they're interested in, and that will help them achieve their career goals. Not only will they be more motivated to learn, but they'll likely also master the skills better when they've actively chosen to train in them.
Create a Supportive Learning Environment
To maximize the effectiveness of upskilling programs, organizations must foster a supportive learning environment. That means:
- Acknowledging and applauding when employees learn something new on their own.
- Providing training opportunities when staff show interest in learning new skills.
- Acknowledging existing skills and not just focusing on what's lacking or could be improved.
- Offering honest but constructive feedback.
- Supportive leaders who don't just encourage employees to improve their existing skills, but keep upskilling themselves.
Case Study - VET by EHL
The Vet by EHL apprenticeship model provides a structured approach in which learning is deeply embedded within the workplace, allowing employees to gain practical skills while contributing to their roles.
By offering tailored upskilling pathways such as these, employers can address skill gaps and align training with their strategic objectives, ultimately enhancing both productivity and employee satisfaction.
When the Indian hospitality sector was suffering from a significant skills gap a few years ago, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the hotel chain ITC partnered with EHL to create the VET by EHL Professional Diploma Programs. These upskilling programs aim to equip employees with technical skills and foster a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.
Encompassing 3 levels of learning within 18 months of training, they give employees the necessary skills they need to become top candidates for hotels around the world, while improving consistency, staff retention, and guest satisfaction within ITC Hotels.
This approach not only supports the immediate needs of the business but also strengthens the overall employer brand, positioning ITC as a forward-thinking employer committed to the development of its workforce. It’s a prime example of how companies can use apprenticeship models to effectively include upskilling within their broader talent strategy, showcasing a commitment to employee growth that sets them apart from competitors.
Challenges When Implementing Upskilling Programs
While learning can benefit anyone, there are some challenges you might need to overcome to get buy-in for upskilling initiatives.
Resistance to Change
Implementing anything new can lead to resistance, especially from those who are uncomfortable with change. It's important to try to understand those who resist learning new skills.
Oftentimes, fear underlies resistance to change:
- Fear that one doesn't have what it takes to learn the new skill
- Fear of being made redundant
- Fear of losing power
- Fear of uncertainty ("How will this impact me and my job?")
Once you've figured out what is driving the resistance - and it won't be the same for everyone - you can address it, point out the benefits of upskilling, and offer some reassurance.
A lot of resistance to change can also be avoided by including employees in the upskilling process from the start and openly communicating with them about the program's goals and progress.
Balancing Work and Learning Time
Effective time management is essential for balancing work and learning. Part of that is the responsibility of the employee, but leadership also needs to allow some flexibility.
As many hospitality staff work shifts, it can be hard to develop a consistent learning schedule. By providing employees in an upskilling program with some schedule stability, you make it easier for them to plan their learning time. Another way to make learning easier is to schedule upskilling initiatives during the low season.
As Human Resources (HR) is usually involved in upskilling programs, it can help facilitate that learn-work balance for staff.
Ensuring Equal Access to Upskilling Opportunities
A variety of barriers might make it harder for some employees to enter a skills training program (and do well) than for others. Think of single moms versus those who aren't responsible for anyone else, or employees with chronic health conditions.
The more you can support each employee by taking their specific situation into account, the more likely they are to participate in and succeed in a skills program.
And if you're the one who wants staff to upskill, the financial burden shouldn't be on them. Even if company resources are tight, there are ways to make upskilling happen. Partnerships with educational institutions and private organizations can provide financial support through scholarships or subsidized training programs, and your local or national government may also fund professional training.
As for the content of your upskilling program, it should be as culturally intelligent as your hospitality business, hopefully, is. That means it needs to help overcome biases rather than strengthen them and show awareness of your staff's backgrounds.
Lastly, skills programs ideally have a multimodal approach so people with different learning styles can benefit equally.
Leadership Push-Back
Some leaders might find it hard to see the necessity of upskilling programs when things are going well, or when the budget is tight. If that's the case, it's your job to show them how upskilling is essential to remain competitive when targeting both consumers and potential hires.
When relevant, you can also crunch the numbers to demonstrate how upskilling will lead to reduced costs and improved performance, delivering an ROI that makes the investment worthwhile.
Embrace the Power of Upskilling Programs
Everyone wants to feel happy and fulfilled at work. In today’s competitive job market, companies that cultivate these feelings among their employees will have the edge in recruiting and retaining top talent.
Employee upskilling has emerged as a powerful strategy for doing just that. By investing in employee development, organizations can boost their employer brand, increase employee engagement, and improve overall organizational performance, making themselves an attractive place for ambitious, talented people.
To make the most of upskilling initiatives, companies should align these programs with their business goals and create a supportive environment for continuous growth. Overcoming challenges such as resistance to change, balancing work and learning time, and ensuring equal access to opportunities is crucial in implementing effective upskilling programs.
