Is Gen Z Ready to Level Up at Work in the AI Age? 3 Tips to Elevate Upskilling

As more companies implement AI to automate tasks, many tech-forward business leaders are touting the promise of “freeing up” employees for more creative and impactful work. However, much of this automation is streamlining work done by entry-level employees, who may not have the skills to step into those new roles and responsibilities. 

Gen Z employees need upskilling support to stay ahead of the curve and help their organizations seize new opportunities for growth and innovation. Unfortunately, only 39% of Gen Z workers now feel equipped to perform well in their role, dropping over 20% from the previous year. More than two-thirds of Gen Z employeesadmit to feeling out of their depth at work, and nearly 6 in 10 say they have used AI to complete work tasks – not to boost their efficiency, but because they felt undertrained. 

How can organizational leaders reverse this trend and equip Gen Z employees with the confidence, support, and skills they need to do their best work? Start by designing a training strategy using these three pillars:
1. Leverage AI for Guided Learning
While many are focused on AI’s potential for disruption in the workforce, AI and other innovative technologies can also play a key role in supporting employee development. Currently, only one-third of employees are satisfied with their organization’s opportunities for skill development, but technology can enable organizations of any size to make training accessible, personalized, and engaging for Gen Z. 

Already, 75% of Gen Z professionals are using AI to learn new skills. This may tempt workforce leaders to leave younger employees to upskill on their own, but without oversight, employees may learn “bad habits” or ways of working that aren’t aligned with their company’s processes. Instead, organizations should explore how they can harness AI to quickly create training content that is tailored to the employee’s needs and company’s goals. 

2. Welcome New Joiners to a Vibrant Learning Culture

Gen Zs know that skill development is key to career progression. This means training is not only about productivity and performance, but retention. In a recent survey, nearly half of Gen Z participants said they were ready to quit their jobs to seek better professional growth opportunities. When Gen Z professionals don’t believe they can learn and grow within the company, they leave as soon as possible, leaving companies to start the expensive recruiting process all over again.

The best way to stop this cycle is to show new Gen Z employees from day 1 that they are joining an organization with a culture of learning. A stunning 8 in 10 employees say they would stay at a company longer if they had better onboarding, while only 12% grades their company’s onboarding highly. By redesigning onboarding with clear and personalized learning pathways that show new employees how they can grow, organizations can close this opportunity gap and raise retention rates, while also better preparing new Gen Z workers to succeed in their roles. 

Additionally, managers of Gen Z employees can help showcase the company’s learning culture by modeling continuous learning themselves. When Gen Zs see their managers regularly growing their own skills and knowledge, learning feels like a way of life at the organization, where all employees have opportunities to develop. 

3. Prepare Gen Z to Pivot with Soft Skills

As organizational leaders rethink training for Gen Z, it’s critical to not only consider how much training to offer, but how to deliver it most effectively. For many years, corporate training has been dominated by one-directional presentations and online training that functioned as a checklist activity. These strategies not only fail to engage Gen Z; they also fail to prepare them for long-term success in a rapidly changing work environment.

According to Deloitte, over 80% of Gen Zs believe soft skills – including communication, leadership, and cooperation – are more critical for career progression than technical skills. Research also indicates that soft skills and other foundational skills help professionals stay resilient to industry changes, learn specialized skills faster, and advance to higher job roles. 

With this in mind, soft skills development should be integrated into all training, especially for Gen Z. For example, employees can practice teamwork in online game-based training. Communication and leadership skills can be honed with peer learning and interactive presentations, supported by digital learning tools. This approach delivers training that strengthens technical and soft skills simultaneously, boosting training efficiency, employee engagement, and team connections.

The most successful training programs for Gen Z employees will be those based on an understanding of how Gen Zs want to learn and the skills they need to adapt to an ever-changing world. From this foundation, AI and other technologies can act as an accelerant, enabling trainers to experiment and iterate quickly to optimize learning outcomes and drive real business results.