Orders are falling away, technologies are changing processes and new skills are needed at short notice. Katrin Witte, Chairwoman of the IBB, shows how companies can respond to crisis situations with strategic reskilling – through quick skills analysis, targeted use of government funding and flexible learning formats.
Executive Summary
Strategic reskilling: developing skills under time pressure
- The challenge: Technological change, market shifts and economic uncertainty often change skills requirements faster than companies can react. Recruiting new skilled workers is time-consuming and costly, while downsizing puts valuable know-how at risk in the long term.
- The solution: Strategic reskilling enables the targeted development of new skills within the existing workforce. A systematic approach based on rapid competency analysis, consistent use of government funding programs and flexible learning formats that can be integrated into everyday work is successful.
- Your benefit: Companies close skills gaps more quickly, strengthen the employability of their employees, reduce recruitment costs and at the same time increase employee retention and future viability.
- Focus: Strategic reskilling, skills development, Qualification Opportunities Act, state funding, skills management, further training in structural change.
What to do if proven business models suddenly no longer work – but employees are not yet ready for new tasks? As director of the Institute for Vocational Training (IBB), I see that companies come to us again and again with similar problems: orders are falling away, technologies are radically changing processes, markets are shifting – not least due to geopolitical crises. The dilemma is always the same. Redundancies? Fatal. Hire new people? Takes months and is expensive. Long training courses? No time, the clock is ticking.
The central question we are asked again and again is: How can rapid, targeted reskilling be achieved under time pressure? How do companies prepare their workforce for new challenges without losing months or risking high costs?
From my experience, I can say: The answer lies in a triad of quick skills analysis, consistent use of state funding opportunities and flexible learning formats that can be integrated into everyday work.
The three pillars of successful reskilling in times of crisis
1. Competency analysis: Strengths and potential in your team
The first step in any crisis situation is clarity. What skills do the workforce already have? Which ones are urgently needed in the next few months? And which employees have the potential to close this gap? A quick skills inventory, for example through structured skills workshops with team leaders, creates transparency within just a few days.
Questions that are worthwhile for your skills analysis:
- Where do new tasks arise in the short and long term?
- Which existing skills can be transferred to new roles?
- Which employees show a willingness to learn and adaptability?
- Which critical knowledge gaps need to be prioritized?
2. Use of state funding opportunities: the Qualification Opportunities Act
Many companies don’t even know that they can receive government support for exactly this situation. The Qualification Opportunities Act (QCG) was introduced in 2019 to specifically prepare employees for structural change. It is aimed at all companies, regardless of size or industry, and enables the promotion of further training that goes beyond short-term adaptation qualifications.
What is funded?
The Qualification Opportunities Act supports further training that makes employees fit for new tasks. The further training must consist of at least 120 hours and be carried out by an AZAV-certified training provider.
The amount of funding depends on the size of the company. For companies with fewer than 50 employees, the Federal Employment Agency covers up to 100 percent of the training costs and up to 75 percent of the wages during the qualification. Larger companies receive less depending on the number of employees.
Who can be funded?
In principle, all employees whose workplace is affected by structural change or who are seeking further training in a shortage occupation. Unskilled workers can also be supported if they would like to obtain a professional qualification.
The financial burden is manageable and the benefits are noticeable. Instead of laying off employees and later looking for expensive specialists on the market, skills can be developed internally using the QCG. A factor that should not be underestimated: This also significantly strengthens the loyalty of the workforce.
3. Flexible learning formats: virtual, modular, practical
In the rarest of cases, companies can afford for employees to be completely absent for months during training. That’s why learning formats are needed that can be integrated into everyday work: online learning and virtual seminar rooms, short learning units and practice-integrated qualifications.
The advantages of these formats are clear in practice: employees can gain further qualifications without the business coming to a standstill. Virtual seminars enable learning from any location, and micro-learning modules can be completed during breaks or off-peak times. At the same time, personal exchange is maintained, as questions can be asked directly to lecturers and experiences can be shared with other learners in online live sessions.
The combination of short learning units and direct application in everyday work has proven particularly successful. What was learned in virtual training in the morning is tried out in the afternoon in your own work context. This results in a quick transfer into practice and the new knowledge becomes permanently anchored.
The inner attitude makes the difference
Fast reskilling is only possible with the right inner attitude. From my experience, three perspectives have proven to be particularly important:
Understand crisis as a creative opportunity
Crises create pressure, but they also open up opportunities. Companies that invest now in the skills development of their workforce are positioning themselves for the future. Anyone who just reacts and reduces costs will lose ground in the long term. Whoever designs wins.
Fast does not mean superficial
Even if the clock is ticking: hasty decisions lead to misqualifications and wasted resources. A clear needs analysis, the selection of suitable formats and regular monitoring remain indispensable even in the crisis. Speed does not come from omitting planning, but from focused processes.
Take people along through honest communication
Open communication is crucial if employees are to become active contributors instead of passive participants. Managers play an important role here. Anyone who involves them early on, shares initial successes internally and shows concrete perspectives turns skepticism into optimism.
My conclusion
Crises are a stress test and an opportunity at the same time. Companies that invest in the skills development of their workforce not only ensure their survival, but also create the basis for growth.
With the right attitude, targeted use of government funding and flexible learning formats, reskilling turns from a seemingly insoluble task into a plannable measure. Companies then not only gain qualified employees, but also their loyalty and trust.
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