A fresh perspective on: skill-based learning
Nowadays, knowledge is literally at our fingertips. This changes the role that knowledge and work experience play in predicting an employee’s success in a position. This change also influences the assessment of someone’s potential for further development and growth. Skill-based learning offers a different perspective on talent by focusing on the question: what is someone capable of (learning)?
How can you ensure that your organization is ready today for the skills that will make a difference tomorrow? In this white paper, we take you through this new perspective on talent and how to manage it. We also explain how a clear vision on skill-based learning contributes to recruitment, selection, and development within your organization.
Skill-based learning
Approaching an employee’s learning process based on what someone can do and the skills that go with it. Skill-based learning makes it possible to better utilize employees’ personal qualities and increase their engagement.
How do you build a team with a diverse skill set that is prepared for challenges now and in the future? And how do you ensure clear development paths, in which employees reach their potential and do not leave too quickly for another organization? Read on to discover how skill-based learning works in practice.
FRISSE BLIKKEN LEARNING STUDIO
In our Learning Studio, twenty L&D professionals work daily on L&D projects and (development) programs for various organizations. In doing so, we create lasting impact for individuals, teams and leaders. Every quarter we publish a white paper in which we offer our fresh perspective on a current L&D trend or theme.
The building blocks of a skill-based organization
At Frisse Blikken, we believe in a skill-first approach, where HR, L&D, and recruitment and selection speak the same language. Skill-based learning is part of a larger movement. For a successful approach, collaboration between multiple departments is essential. If you structurally link skills to all phases of the employee journey (from hiring to performance), this leads to sustainable development, objective selection, and better performance.
Our skill-based approach consists of four pillars:
PEOPLE
activate skill-based thinking across the organization
PROCESS
design processes around skills (in selection, onboarding, and mobility)
PLATFORM
build systems that can measure, track, and develop skills
PULSE
Continuously evaluate whether the development process is having an impact
Two reasons to embrace skill-based learning in your organisation
1) Technological developments
Due to technological developments such as AI, knowledge is becoming obsolete faster than ever, and adaptability is becoming crucial. Therefore, adapt your learning and development paths to this movement and design flexible development strategies with a focus on skills.
We look for learning programs that truly change behavior, not just transfer knowledge.
2) Proliferation of development opportunities
More and more organizations are investing in the personal and professional development of their employees. Yet we often hear the same challenge from our clients in this area: onboarding and subsequent development paths often do not align sufficiently. All this leads to fragmented talent development and a proliferation of learning and development opportunities.
That is why Frisse Blikken applies skill-based learning: we believe that if you have clarity about the skills that are needed, you can hire and train the right people for the job.
This helps employees to realize their potential and contribute as much as possible to the team and the organization. No longer ‘what does someone need to know?’, but ‘what does someone need to be able to do?
Read below to find out the differences between traditional learning and skill-based learning.
A practical example:
The municipality of Rotterdam wants to give everyone a fair chance to participate in the traineeship, which has a six-month intake period. Based on this vision, Frisse Blikken was brought in to support the renewal of the vision and approach of the entire traineeship. In co-creation, we built a skill-based framework that serves as the basis for recruitment, selection, and development, with the skills of the civil servant of the future playing a leading role. In collaboration with Erasmus University and a behavioral psychologist, we translated the municipality’s practical examples into competency-based and personal working methods.
- Recruitment of trainees: with a targeted approach, the Municipality of Rotterdam better reached underrepresented target groups. This was partly due to a new campaign (Groeikracht) that took into account accessible language and contact options.
- The selection of trainees: applicants participated in the selection day, which included a structured interview and a gamified assessment (escape room experience). Prior to the selection day, the selectors received training and resources to enable them to observe and analyze as objectively as possible. Ultimately, 1,304 candidates went through an objective selection process. The quality of diversity within the intake of the municipality of Rotterdam has increased significantly.
• The development of trainees: the traineeship program was fully customized with development paths based on the skills of the civil servant of the future. Candidates and colleagues indicated that they felt treated fairly and appreciated.
During the job interview, no one looked at my resume. Instead, I was asked specific questions about my motivations. What gives you energy? What are you good at? It was about who you are—not what you've done on paper. I found that refreshing. And that personal touch remained throughout the entire process.
Malcom, trainee Municipality of Rotterdam
Our fresh advice
Take another look at the learning and development opportunities in your organization: are they geared toward skills, behavior, and application? Or do they remain stuck in imparting knowledge? It helps to ask yourself what really makes the difference between functioning and thriving in your organization. And how structurally are those skills developed from the moment someone joins the company?
Get in touch!
Do you recognize one or more of the challenges described in this white paper? Would you like to discuss what skill-based learning could look like for your organization? And what benefits it could bring to the workplace?
Please contact our colleague Erik. We would be happy to brainstorm with you, without obligation.
