reskill
ree-SKIL
/ˌriːˈskɪl/
To teach or learn new skills in order to perform an entirely different job or trade.
Implies a lateral career shift or pivot made necessary by industrial automation or structural change.
The story behind the word. Coined in the mid-1980s as global manufacturing shifted and industrial plants closed. Combining 're-' (again) with 'skill', it captured the social movement of rebuilding a career from scratch.
Word relationships
- retrain: Retrain is a broad general term, whereas reskill specifically emphasizes learning an entirely new functional skillset.
Commonly confused with
- upskill: Upskilling improves performance in one's current trajectory; reskilling prepares for a completely different trade.
Word family
- reskilling (noun): The process of acquiring new skills for a new occupation.
Collocations
- reskill workers
- reskill for new roles
- initiative to reskill
Example sentences
- "Displaced assembly line workers were given federal grants to reskill as renewable energy technicians." Labor Economics
- "After the publishing house closed, Maria decided to reskill by enrolling in a software engineering bootcamp." Career Change
Memory hook
RE (again) + SKILL (ability) = build a brand new set of skills. Re-do your skillset for a new job.
When not to use
Do not use if an employee is taking an advanced course to stay in their current job title.
Fun facts
- The World Economic Forum estimates that over half of the global workforce will require reskilling due to technological shifts.
Related words
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