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Retraining, refresher training, or upskilling is the process of learning a new or the same old skill or trade for the same group of personnel. Retraining can be considered a business priority that companies/organizations could provide on a regular basis to avoid personnel obsolescence due to technological changes and the individuals' memory capacity. This short-term instruction course shall serve to re-acquaint personnel with skills previously learnt (recall to retain the potentials) or to bring knowledge or skills up-to-date (latest) so that skills stay sharp. This kind of training could be provided annually or more frequently as required, based on the importance of consistency of the task of which the skill is involved. Examples of refreshers are cGMP, GDP, HSE trainings. Retraining (repetition of a training conducted earlier) shall also be conducted for an employee, when the employee is rated as ‘not qualified’ for a skill or knowledge, as determined based on the assessment of answers in the training questionnaire of the employee.
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While the stereotype for retraining needs is the older worker, youth in the United States and across the European Community (OECD) and Africa suffer from the same problem. The gap between the skills they possess and those that employers are actively seeking is significant and stagnating to their employment prospects. Currently in the United States, psychology, history and the performing arts make up 22% of college degrees earned. Demand for skilled employees, however, is in the areas of technology and engineering, currently at 5% of conferred degrees.FREIFELD, L. (2013). Bridging the Skills Gap. Training, 50(2), 18-21 “In both Britain and the United States, many people with expensive liberal arts degrees are finding it impossible to get decent jobs,” reports the Economist in its April 27, 2013 issue, adding that in northern Africa, job applicants with degrees face an unemployment level twice that of non-degreed candidates.
While technology anxiety and a nervousness about learning new processes and acquiring new skill sets has impacted older workers,Hollis-Sawyer, L. (2011). A Math-Related Decrement Stereotype Threat Reaction Among Older Nontraditional College Learners. Educational Gerontology, 37(4), 292-306. doi:10.1080/03601271003608845 younger job seekers are also facing a deficit of “applied soft skills” such as work ethic, social skills, communication and leadership.Buhler, P. M. (2012). the skills gap: how organizations can respond effectively. Supervision, 73(12), 23.
There is some controversy surrounding the use of retraining to offset economic changes caused by free trade and automation. For example, most studies show that displaced factory workers in the United States on the average have lower wages after retraining to other positions when a factory is closed due to offshoring. A similar issue surrounds movement from technical jobs to due to offshore outsourcing. Such changes may also favor certain personality types over others, due to the changing tasks and skills required. Other research estimates that one academic year of such retraining at a community college increases the long-term earnings by about 8 percent for older males and by about 10 percent for older females. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, "Should We Teach Old Dogs New Tricks? The Impact of Community College Retraining on Older Displaced Workers," November 2003
Government policy may make a difference in employability and motivation for retraining and re-entry into the workforce for older workers. In economies with greater regulations surrounding the hiring, termination and wages, reductions in unemployment were difficult to achieve. The very groups harmed by continued higher unemployment were those that the regulations sought to protect. Serban, A.C. (2012). A Better Employability Through Labour Market Flexibility. The Case of Romania. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences, 46(4th World Conference on Educational Sciences (WCES-2012) 02-05 February 2012 Barcelona, Spain), 4539-4543. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.292
Retraining is sometimes offered as part of workfare programs, which may include support for transportation, childcare, or an internship.
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