Upskilling is the need of the day. As a matter of fact, a recent study says that organizations will increase L&D budgets by 67%. In fact, several organizations are now spending as much as $5000 per employee on L&D. Even the employees are on the same page when it comes to upskilling with 76% preferring to stay in an organization the provides continuous learning opportunities. But measuring the outcome of L&D programs still remain a challenge.
Traditionally, L&D managers mapped the hours of upskilling content consumed by people, the participants in the initiative, to measure the end result. But that's not a realistic metric to measure the outcome. And that's where upskilling tools factor in.
The best upskilling platforms will not just assist you track the traditional metrics but also will help conduct training needs analysis and identification, identify critical skills for business growth, and measure the objective ROI of L&D initiatives.
Moreover, firms can also invest in skill gap assessment tools, as it helps employers identify the specific skills that their workers are lacking and create targeted L&D programs.
With the increasing dependency on L&D departments, you need to invest in an upskilling tool that helps you make data-driven decisions. To help you choose one, we’ve created a list of the best upskilling platforms, replete with their subscription packages, perks, user ratings, and more so you make an informed decision.
Table of content |
1. iMocha
Founded In: 2015
iMocha is an AI-based evaluation platform that helps organizations assess and develop the skills of their employees. It features a dedicated upskilling evaluation portal that you can utilize to determine your employees' current skill levels and track their overall learning journey. This platform also features a library of over 3000 skills for learning assessments based on the company's requirements.
The upskilling evaluation portal through its pre-test and post-test assessment reports will permit you to measure your employees' learning progress and help you iterate your L&D programs. You can use these reports to track your employees' development, identify areas requiring more attention, determine skills critical for your organization’s growth, and more.
In addition to the upskilling evaluation portal, iMocha has more things to offer. In 2023, it launched its latest product Skill Intelligence Cloud that helps HR professionals and L&D teams validate employee skills, gauge their strengths and weakness, and identify skill gaps. With this complete picture at hand, you can now understand who needs upskilling in which area and create targeted programs for them.
Perks
Free trial: Available
2. upGrad for Business
Founded In: 2015
upGrad is an upskilling platform that offers rigorous industry-relevant programs, which are planned and delivered in partnership with top professors and industry experts. Talent Development managers can utilize these courses to improve the existing skill set of their employees. upGrad also helps employees advance in their job by offering specialized seminars and programs.
This platform comprises courses such as Data Science, Technology, Management, and Law for students, working professionals, enterprises, and more. All the courses offered by upGrad are self-placed, which implies that your employees can take these courses anytime and everywhere, making it easier for candidates to learn on the go.
Perks
Subscription Range: Annual subscription is $399 per user
3. udemy business
Founded In: 2010
Udemy is another upskilling platform that offers eLearning courses to help users learn new skills or enhance their existing abilities. It also provides learning courses to assist organizations in training employees to deal with continuously changing workplace requirements.
It delivers more than 15,000 highly regarded courses in ten different languages to assist employees in mastering their tasks by upgrading their current expertise. In addition to a curated content collection, it also allows businesses to host and share their existing material on Udemy.
Perks
Subscription Range: Annual subscription is $360 per user
4. coursera for business
Founded In: 2012
coursera is an online educational portal that offers massive open online courses to enable individuals to learn a new skill or upskill the one they currently possess. It also offers coursera for businesses, which aims to help enterprises improve their workforce abilities. With this feature, you will get unlimited access to the platform's courses, skill metrics, user analytics, and integrations to drive success.
TD managers may utilize Coursera courses to effortlessly lead employees in developing the skills needed for the workplace. Using Coursera, you can train your teams with engaging content in multiple formats and lengths—suited to different learning needs and schedules. It can help your employees quickly master skills with its guided Projects: hands-on, single-session training programs with step-by-step guidance from its experts
Perks
Subscription Range: Annual subscription is $399
5. edX for business
Founded In: 2012
edX is another learning platform that provides online courses for individuals and companies. It comprises various eLearning courses, including computer science, international languages, and engineering. Apart from that, edX features courses that are often part of professional certification. It is regarded as one of the best upskilling platforms as it provides courses that are generally free and accessible to anybody on the internet unless you want to get a verified certificate once completed.
edX also includes ‘For the Business’ service, which assists top firms in upskilling their workforces by making the best educational materials available to learners. Some of the world's top-ranked institutions and industry leaders create and teach these courses.
Perks
Subscription Range: Annual subscription is from $300 onwards
6. LinkedIn Learning
Founded In: 2003
LinkedIn is a social networking portal designed to connect individuals with various business professionals and potential career options. It also provides individuals with eLearning courses. These courses aim to assist individuals in learning a new skill or honing their existing expertise in their respective disciplines.
LinkedIn also offers online learning for firms to upskill their workforce so that employees have the right skills they need without wasting time working on domains that may soon become obsolete. With the help of these tailor-made courses, employers can instantly boost learner engagement.
Perks
Subscription Range: Annual subscription is $299.88
7. Udacity
Founded In: 2011
Udacity is an eLearning upskilling platform that provides courses to help industry employees obtain the skills they need today. It covers topics such as Machine Learning, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Web Development, Digital Marketing, and Business Analysis, among others, to help people upskill and reskill in their current fields.
Most of the courses on this portal are free, implying that anybody, regardless of enterprise, can take them. If you wish to track each employee's progress in learning courses, you can sign up for their paid Nano degree option. The Nano degree courses comprise brief videos, exercises, projects, and coaching features.
Perks
Subscription Range: Annual subscription starts from $399/month
8. MasterClass
G2 rating: NA
Founded In: 2015
MasterClass is an online education portal that offers a broad range of courses, from wellness to technology. Established and famous experts teach all sessions through high-quality video lectures lasting around two to four hours each.
Besides that, MasterClass provides workbooks to help learners acquire more detailed explanations with exciting graphics that are simple and easy to understand. It also has community forums for each class where learners can communicate, submit questions, get feedback, and develop a better understanding of their learning.
Perks
Subscription Range: Standard subscription is $180 per year
9. FutureLearn for Business
Founded In: 2012
FutureLearn is an upskilling platform that embodies a wide range of courses to help your employees kickstart their careers or refresh their knowledge on an array of topics. It has micro-credential programs, certifications, online degrees, and popular short courses. This platform currently includes 175 partners, including several prestigious UK universities. Amnesty International and UNESCO are two non-university partners.
Perks
Subscription Range: On request
10. Degreed
Founded In: 2012
Degreed is an online learning platform that provides courses for firms looking to upskill and reskill their personnel. Degreed engages teams to crowdsource and collaborate on development and empowers workers to share what they're learning with peers. It also identifies and prioritizes the skills your employees will require in the future. This tool provides the resources you need to match your people's abilities with your business imperatives.
Perks
Subscription Range: On request
Discover the leading training tracking software that simplifies tracking and managing employee learning and development. |
11. Paradiso Solutions
G2 rating: 4.3/5 (12 reviews)
Founded In: 2011
Paradiso Solution is a comprehensive eLearning platform that offers enterprises the most adaptable and feature-rich eLearning solutions to expand their company efficiently. It identifies skill gaps, provides analytics, and offers tailor-made learning strategies to build skills without disturbing workflows.
Paradiso provides LMS and course catalogs as online learning products, course development, and managed training services. This LMS also has customizable platform functionality for businesses that demand end-to-end learning solutions.
Perks
Subscription Range: Annual subscription starts at $5.50 per user
12. duolingo for business
Founded In: 2011
Duolingo is a language learning portal that offers a range of courses in different languages to upskill or reskill massive numbers of employees and keep everyone up to date on new developments. Duolingo's test yourself feature allows you to track your employees' progress and verify if they are able to retain every new bit of information they learn during the course.
Perks
Subscription Range: Annual subscription is $49.99 (per user)
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Platform |
Key Features |
G2 Rating |
Subscription |
iMocha |
AI-based assessment, 3000+ skills library, Skill Intelligence Cloud, integrates with LMS, TNI/TNA support, pre- and post-assessment reports |
4.4/5 (239 reviews) |
|
upGrad for Business |
Industry-relevant programs, self-paced learning, mobile access, progress tracking with certificates |
4.1/5 (57 reviews) |
$399/year per user |
Udemy Business |
15,000+ courses, multiple languages, accessible on web and mobile, custom content hosting for businesses |
4.5/5 (594 reviews) |
$360/year per user |
Coursera for Business |
Guided projects, skill metrics, analytics, integrations, multi-format content |
4.2/5 (70 reviews) |
$399/year |
edX for Business |
Courses from top institutions, professional certifications, admin dashboards |
4.7/5 (3 reviews) |
$300+/year |
LinkedIn Learning |
Multiple languages, self-paced learning, tracks learning progress, broad range of courses |
4.4/5 (649 reviews) |
$299.88/year |
Udacity |
Free and paid courses, Nano degrees, quizzes, projects, industry-relevant topics |
4.5/5 (707 reviews) |
$399/month |
MasterClass |
Expert-led video courses, short sessions, workbooks, community forums |
NA |
$180/year |
FutureLearn for Business |
Courses from UK universities, micro-credentials, learning analytics |
4.4/5 (19 reviews) |
On request |
Degreed |
Skills visualization, real-time skills tracking, connects skills to suitable projects and roles |
4.3/5 (39 reviews) |
On request |
Paradiso Solutions |
LMS, course development, customizable eLearning, skill gap analysis, training analytics |
4.3/5 (12 reviews) |
On request |
Duolingo for Business |
Language learning, gamified courses, progress tracking, real-time feedback |
4.5/5 (129 reviews) |
On request |
What is an upskilling program?
An upskilling program is designed to help employees learn or improve existing skills. Upskilling aims to help employees keep up with workplace changes and enhance their job performance.
Which is the leading upskilling tracking platform?
iMocha is the leading upskilling tracking platform as it allows you to track your employees' progress through expert curated pre and post assessments through its dedicated evaluation portal, as mentioned earlier. The reports help identify development areas and skill gaps that need more attention for an enterprise’s overall growth.
What is the importance of an upskilling program?
There are many reasons why an upskilling program is essential.
Why is upskilling in the workplace important?
An upskilling program is essential in a workplace because it helps you stay competitive. With upskilling, you can gain the skills necessary for business continuity. Employees, too, gain new skills and knowledge that they can use to alleviate their job performance. Additionally, upskilling tools can help employees feel more engaged and motivated in their work, leading to improved morale and productivity.
How do you measure ROI for training?
There are several methods for calculating ROI for upskilling training. With the best upskilling platforms, you can track how many employees completed the training and compare it to the number of employees who signed up for it. iMocha goes a step ahead and provides an evaluation portal to gauge the current skills and the overall progress of the employees’ upskilling journey.
Another approach to calculating ROI is to look at how many individuals have benefited from L&D projects. You can do it by using pre and post-learning assessments. It is advisable to employ a combination of these strategies to acquire the most accurate depiction of ROI. It will give you a well-rounded view of the value that training has brought to your company.