Reskilling
Topic: Human Capital: Education, Health and Demographic Dividend · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Reskilling means training a worker in new skills so they can move into a different job or role. It is needed when a person's old job shrinks or disappears, for example because of automation, artificial intelligence (AI) or changes in what the economy produces. Reskilling keeps workers employable, so their human capital is not wasted when the economy changes.
Example
A bank clerk whose data-entry work is taken over by software is trained in data analysis. She then moves to a new role in the bank's analytics team. Her old skills are no longer in demand, so she learns a new set for a new job.
Don't confuse with
- Upskilling: upskilling improves a worker's skills for their current role. Reskilling prepares them for a new role.
Related concepts
- Skill gap
- Skill mismatch
- Employability
- Vocational education
- Apprenticeship
- Upskilling
- Recognition of prior learning
- NEET
- Online learning