The convenience industry is constantly evolving, and it is important to make sure your employees are well-trained and prepared for anything. Advances in technology, staffing shortages, and any number of events could lead to employees needing enhanced, or entirely new, skills in order for your store to remain successful and competitive. When you implement upskilling and reskilling training programs in your convenience store, you and your staff will be better prepared for whatever challenges may come your way.
What Do Reskilling and Upskilling Mean?
While upskilling and reskilling are similar training processes, they serve two very different functions within your store, and can help you in different ways.
- Reskilling means training an employee in a completely new set of skills in order to have them fill a new or different position within your store – such as training a cashier to also work the foodservice counter.
- Upskilling means training employees in additional skills to better perform their current jobs. An example would be training a cashier employee in suggestive selling techniques in order to increase sales, or adding leadership training for an employee on the management track.
Upskilling and Reskilling in Your Convenience Store
There are many areas within your convenience store where you and your employees would benefit from a strategy for upskilling and reskilling.
Technology: Whether it’s your cash registers, fuel pumps, or order screens at the food service counter, technology is becoming more prevalent in your business and it’s always advancing. In order to meet this demand, your employees will need constant training to stay on top of digital advancements.
Self-checkout: More and more convenience stores are starting to implement forms of self-checkouts – either with registers they can operate themselves, or apps so they can scan products with their phone. Not only will your employees need to be trained to help customers use these checkouts, but they may also need to be trained to fill new roles as self-checkout becomes more popular.
Staffing shortages: Everyone has been struggling with staffing. In order to fill the gaps, employees will need training to fill new positions within your store. That may mean taking an employee who usually works on stocking shelves and training them to work behind the foodservice counter or training a foodservice employee to work with fuel customers.
Upskilling and reskilling also encourage employee loyalty. While many convenience store employees may view their jobs as just part-time until they’re out of school or something else comes along, many are looking for a career. Offering them the opportunity to learn and grow their skills in your store won’t guarantee they stay with your store for their entire career, but it will make them a more loyal and appreciative employee while they work for you. Investing in your employees is also an investment in your customers, as happy, loyal employees will provide better customer service.
How Your LMS Promotes Reskilling and Upskilling
Your learning management system (LMS) can help you implement a strategy for upskilling or reskilling within your convenience store. Custom learning paths and automatically assigned training allows employees to continue learning beyond their onboarding period. An LMS can also aid in designing career progression plans, providing employees on a management track with the training and skills they need by the time they achieve their promotion.
Upskilling with trainingGrid®
trainingGrid® is an LMS developed with you and your employees in mind. Its intuitive design makes learning management simple and allows employees to begin training with just a click. This flexible system comes with a variety of robust features customizable to fit your needs in addition to built-in reporting and certification tools that track your compliance documentation.
Request a guided demonstration of trainingGrid® today!
