The need for continuous skill development is essential for survival and growth in today’s world.  Reskilling employees to meet evolving demands is no longer a one-off training initiative but a core part of cultivating a thriving corporate culture of learning. At From Day One’s Dallas conference, industry experts gathered to explore how organizations can embed reskilling into their core. 

Embedding reskilling into a corporate culture starts by reframing how organizations view talent—through the lens of skills. Kymberly Kuebler, VP of talent at Aimbridge Hospitality, shared how her company is shifting toward a skills-based workforce, beginning with redefining leadership.

“One of the key competencies [for leaders] is ‘develop talent,’” Kuebler said. “That’s an expectation we set for all of our leaders.” But setting expectations isn’t enough. Aimbridge provides managers with practical tools to translate expectations into action. 

“We have an apprentice program to learn how to be a general manager of a hotel,” she said. “Part of the expectation is that their leader has a guide about how to check in with them, so we’re giving the managers the questions to ask so they can facilitate that learning along the way.”

Kuebler stressed the importance of application over theory, citing the enduring 70-20-10 learning model where 70% of development happens on the job. Without embedding application, learning won’t stick.

Technology also plays a pivotal role, she says. Aimbridge used AI to analyze and rewrite job descriptions based on top skills, accelerating what would have taken months into weeks. Their approach turns skills-based strategy from buzzword to business imperative. “What hasn’t changed is that 70-20-10 model, and 70% is application. If you’re not building that into how people are learning, then they’re not really learning.”

Cross-Functional Alignment is Key

Creating a culture of continuous learning and mobility demands alignment across functions. Melanie Stave, SVP, career development & mobility practice leader, at LHH, emphasized that HR, talent acquisition, recruiting, learning and development, and organizational development must be synchronized. “They all need to know what everybody’s doing, so that the talent management process is defined from the top, and they have a plan,” Stave said.

Clear communication, especially with managers, is vital. Managers are often the “lost population” in talent strategies, lacking visibility into their teams’ skills or clarity on mobility opportunities. Stave urged organizations to provide managers with better support to drive development effectively.

Transparent communication helps alleviate employee fears around technology-driven change. Rather than a cold, impersonal process, mobility should feel like a “white glove service” that keeps the human element front and center.

With alignment, organizations foster a culture where employees feel safe to express their career aspirations openly. It creates a culture where people don’t fear looking for a new job, instead they love it, but also love growth, she says. 

Retention Tied to Internal Mobility

Retention isn’t about perks; it’s about purpose. Arthur Lucien, VP of learning and development for the Expert Engineer Program at JPMorgan Chase, highlighted internal mobility as a key retention driver often overlooked in today’s talent wars.

“There’s this fantasy that if you’re good at what you do, someone will find you and give you what you’re looking for,” Lucien said. “That doesn’t always happen.”

JPMorgan Chase targets mid-level performers who want to grow but are often neglected. “Your mid performer, the person who’s good but wants to be great, they get left behind all the time,” he said. Losing these employees means losing potential top talent.

Lucien warned of the “deployment cliff,” employees earn new skills but managers are unprepared to help them apply those skills. Partnering with managers to provide tools, time, and transparency is crucial to avoid losing talent after development.

Tracking Individual Development Plans (IDPs) is also key. “If we don’t know what people are working on, we’re on the clock until they leave,” he said. 

Leverage AI as a Tool for Efficiency

Mike Sample, head of global strategic L&D at JLL, described how curiosity led him into AI and transformed his role. “I didn’t know what AI was,” he admitted. “I tend to be a late adopter. So I decided that I would learn a little bit about AI. I learned what a large language model was, and that helped me out a lot.”

Sample sees AI not as a threat but a tool to create “white space,” freeing up time from mundane tasks to focus on creative, meaningful work.

“Look at what you do, and then see what AI can help you do,” he said. “Some of the fear just comes from the unknown. But what if I could show you a way to save time doing something you don’t even like doing?”

All that said, efficiency isn’t only automation; it’s engagement. Sample stressed listening to employees and encouraging a learning culture based on inquiry. “Never tell what you can ask,” he said. “When people feel engaged, they learn more.”

AI doesn’t replace human skills like problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration, he added. His advice for organizations? Start small, be consistent, and lead by example: “Learn the thing you know least about. Say out loud that you’re a little bit afraid of it. Go for it—and then teach someone else.”

Learning as a Strategic Imperative

For Molly McKinstry, VP of sales, North America, at Udemy, education is essential. “Learning is not a box check exercise,” she said. “It is a strategic, incredibly fundamental part of high performing, durable organizations that directly connects to business outcomes.”

This starts with trust. Employees want to know their company invests in their future, not just their productivity. “If we are investing in their own skill development, I can't think of a more omnipresent way to show that trust,” McKinstry said.

Learning must be personal, ongoing, and data-driven. It should be tailored to where employees are on their skill journeys and happen continuously—not just quarterly. Analytics should measure ROI through retention, mobility, innovation, and engagement.

Digital access is vital. “People want to be able to learn when they want to learn, how they want to learn, where they want to learn,” she said. This empowers employees and addresses leadership’s gap in managing emerging technologies.

“55% of employees do not believe their leaders are ready to bring Gen AI in a really intentional and strategic way,” McKinstry noted. Leaders must learn alongside their teams, foster vulnerability, and make learning fun.

Reskilling requires a strategic, organization-wide mindset that incorporates skills-based development, aligned leadership, empowered managers, and smart use of technology. Companies that embed reskilling into their culture will retain talent, foster growth, and maintain competitive advantage in today’s evolving marketplace.

Carrie Snider is a Phoenix-based journalist and marketing copywriter.

(Photos by Steve Bither for From Day One)