HR TRANSFORMATION · 2 HOURS
Building a Workforce Skills Plan
Building a Workforce Skills Plan teaches HR business partners, L&D leads and heads of function to build a skills plan from changes to the work that have already been decided. You finish with a one-page plan for the next two quarters, so training effort goes where the work is actually changing.
About this course
Requests for a skills plan often arrive as a request for a long list, prompted by general claims that AI or digital change will transform every job. A list built from trends is hard to act on and easy to ignore, because it asks everyone to learn everything and ties nothing to a change the organisation has actually decided.
This course teaches you to start from the changes to the work that are already decided for the next six months, and to name no more than three observable skills for each affected role. You finish with a one-page plan for two quarters in which every skill has a measure, an owner, a date, and a clear link to the change it responds to.
What you will take away
- You will be able to tell a change you can point to, such as a system with an approved go-live date, from a trend you are guessing at.
- You will be able to write a skill as observable work for a named role and tie it to a dated change.
- You will be able to decide for each gap whether to train or to solve it another way, such as redesigning the work or providing a job aid.
- You will be able to cut a long list to no more than three skills per role using four questions, and give a reason for each skill you cut or move.
- You will leave with a signed one-page skills plan for two quarters, with a measure, an owner by role, and a date for every skill.
Who this course is for
- HR business partners who have been asked for a skills plan in response to new systems or technology and want one that managers will act on.
- L&D leads who need to decide where training effort should go over the next two quarters and what should be solved another way.
- Workforce planners who want a short, defensible plan that does not depend on analytics software or a skills taxonomy.
- Heads of function who know the roles in their area and need to show their director what will happen, for whom, and when.
What you will do
Each lesson teaches one part of the method, works through a realistic example, and ends with a check on a case you have not seen. The course closes with an assessment and then the piece of work you sign.
- 5lessons with a worked example and a check
- 7scenario questions in the course assessment
- Signedthe skills plan, with a record anyone can verify
- 2 hoursat your own pace, with progress saved
- 01
Lesson
The work that is changing
This lesson explains why a skills plan should start from the work that is changing rather than from a list of skills, and how to tell a change with evidence from a general trend. You mark statements from a claims department and then a hospital outpatient team.
- Start from the work, not from a list of skills
- A change we can point to
- A trend we are guessing at
- Why the distinction matters, and the usual mistake
You mark 5 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 02
Lesson
Skills by role
This lesson defines a skill in the plan as observable work for a named role, tied to the change that creates the need, and explains why topics and traits do not count. You compare rows for a text-first letters change and choose the row written for a new claims system.
- What a skill is in this plan
- What a skill is not
- Why it matters at work
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 03
Lesson
What you will not train
This lesson treats training as one way among several to close a gap, alongside redesigning the work, providing a job aid, or relying on a specialist. You mark gaps from a claims system change and an outpatient plan as ones to train or to solve another way.
- Training is one answer among several
- Solve another way
- What this is not, and why it matters
You mark 5 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 04
Lesson
The few that matter
This lesson explains why a plan should name no more than three skills per role, and teaches four questions for choosing them, starting with the consequence of the skill being missing. You cut a draft list of seven skills for booking clerks and give a reason for each cut.
- No more than three skills per role
- The four questions
- Cutting is a decision, not a judgement of worth
You repair a flawed draft so it meets the standard the lesson sets, and your revision is checked against it.
- 05
Lesson
Measures, owners, and dates
This lesson shows how to give each skill a measure someone could book, an owner named by role, and a time set against the change. You read lines for an outpatient team and choose the row for triage administrators that a manager could act on without asking.
- The measure
- The owner and the time
- Ready to act on, or a manager would have to ask
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 06
Course assessment
Course assessment
This lesson recaps changes, skills, decisions about training, and measures, then works a finance team's request for AI and data skills before a new expenses system. You answer seven new situations with feedback on each choice and need six correct to pass.
- Changes and skills
- Deciding and cutting
- Making it something the organisation can be held to
You judge 7 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 6 correct to pass.
- 07
Final work and signed record
The plan
In this final lesson you write the one-page skills plan for your area for the next two quarters, from the changes and their evidence to the skills, measures, what is not trained, and the plan's owner. Each part is checked before you sign the plan for your record.
- What goes on the page
- What the plan is not
- Checking the plan before you sign it
You write the skills plan for your own work, part by part, and sign it as your record.
GOOD WORK.THE SKILLS PLAN, SIGNED.
WHAT CHANGES
What the course changes for you and your organisation.
- 01
Training aimed at real change
Every line in the plan rests on a change someone has already decided, such as a new system or a revised process with a date. Training effort therefore goes where the work is actually changing, and each line can be defended by pointing to that change.
- 02
A plan managers can act on
Each skill carries a measure specific enough to book, an owner named by role, and a time set against its change. A manager can read the plan in a few minutes and know what will happen without contacting HR to ask.
- 03
Budget spent only where needed
The course treats training as one response among several and shows when redesign, a checklist, or support from a specialist closes a gap more quickly. Stating what will not be trained keeps the plan to one page and keeps the training budget for the gaps that need it.
- 04
Skill gaps block planned change
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 found 63% of employers see skill gaps as a major barrier to business transformation. A short skills plan tied to changes already decided helps an organisation direct training to the roles where the work is actually moving.
QUESTIONS
Questions about Building a Workforce Skills Plan
- What is Building a Workforce Skills Plan about?
- Requests for a skills plan often arrive as a request for a long list, prompted by general claims that AI or digital change will transform every job. A list built from trends is hard to act on and easy to ignore, because it asks everyone to learn everything and ties nothing to a change the organisation has actually decided. This course teaches you to start from the changes to the work that are already decided for the next six months, and to name no more than three observable skills for each affected role. You finish with a one-page plan for two quarters in which every skill has a measure, an owner, a date, and a clear link to the change it responds to.
- Who is Building a Workforce Skills Plan for?
- HR business partners who have been asked for a skills plan in response to new systems or technology and want one that managers will act on. L&D leads who need to decide where training effort should go over the next two quarters and what should be solved another way. Workforce planners who want a short, defensible plan that does not depend on analytics software or a skills taxonomy. Heads of function who know the roles in their area and need to show their director what will happen, for whom, and when. No specialist background is assumed, and every term is explained before it is used.
- What will I be able to do after Building a Workforce Skills Plan?
- You will be able to tell a change you can point to, such as a system with an approved go-live date, from a trend you are guessing at. You will be able to write a skill as observable work for a named role and tie it to a dated change. You will be able to decide for each gap whether to train or to solve it another way, such as redesigning the work or providing a job aid. You will be able to cut a long list to no more than three skills per role using four questions, and give a reason for each skill you cut or move. You will leave with a signed one-page skills plan for two quarters, with a measure, an owner by role, and a date for every skill.
- How long does the course take, and how is it taught?
- The course takes about 2 hours and is studied online at your own pace. It has 5 lessons, each with a worked example, a practice exercise, and a check on a new case, followed by a course assessment of 7 scenario questions in which you need 6 correct to pass. Your progress is saved to your account.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes. When you pass, you sign a record that names you, the course, and the skills plan. Anyone you share it with can verify it online and download it as a PDF. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.
- How much does it cost, and when can I start?
- The course costs £129, paid once by card through Stripe. Access begins as soon as payment is confirmed, and you can save a sign-in to return to the course from any device.
- Can my organisation train a whole team?
- Yes. Individuals can buy any self-paced course online, and organisations can book trainer-led courses for teams, in person or online, through the Experrt Academy.
More hr transformation courses are listed on the self-paced ai courses for hr and people teams page.
THERE IS A NEXT CHAPTER.
Start today, and finish with
the skills plan your organisation can use.
Checkout takes an email address and a card, and access begins as soon as payment is confirmed. When you finish, you sign a record that names you and the skills plan, which anyone you choose can verify online. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.