The world of professional development is filled with jargon, and one of the latest terms making the rounds among job seekers is “upskilling.”

Upskilling involves broadening your existing skillset so that you can level up at work or within your chosen field. It’s distinct from “reskilling,” which means learning new skills geared toward a different career path.

How can upskilling be useful to federal workers who are looking for a professional change? The Banner spoke with experts to find out.

What is upskilling?

You can find upskilling opportunities across a wide array of industries, said Jen Hubley Luckwaldt, who co-founded the career advice Substack The Job Hopper.

“Upskilling is acquiring skills that enable you to grow in your career,” she said.

In some industries, getting a new certification can set you up for a raise or a promotion; sometimes you can even get your workplace to cover the cost of learning a new skill. But often, upskilling is something that workers do on their own to strengthen their resume ahead of a job search or make the case for a salary bump.

“When you have a set of skills that you have been using for your career and there’s a new technology or new innovations … it’s just that process of getting familiar, starting to work with them, working them into what you do,” said Chelsea Kirkland, digital inclusion coordinator at the DC Public Library.

The library system is hosting an AI upskilling program for people navigating job changes, including federal workers. The combination of changes to the federal workforce and the introduction of artificial intelligence tools has created tremendous uncertainty, Kirkland said. Upskilling offers a chance to stay up to date on new technologies and build them into your work.

“The transitioning federal workforce is full of folks that have deep, esoteric knowledge and are really good systems thinkers who know how to work in complex environments,” said Ann Marie Guzzi, a co-founder of Levy, a company that partnered with the library system for the free upskilling pilot program.

Figuring out how to combine those skills with new technologies and certifications is key to upskilling effectively, she said.

The DC Public Library’s program allows former feds to learn how to use the tools, which is a skill they can add to their resume, and point to a specific project they’ve worked on while job searching.

Look for free programs

Many upskilling programs are offered free of charge, a boon for anyone who wants to learn new skills while they’re out of work. Hubley Luckwaldt encourages job seekers to seek out free opportunities as much as possible, such as those found at CareerOneStop or local libraries.

Looking for programs online is a good place to start. Some major companies offer free courses and certifications, including LinkedIn and edX. You can also look locally using the Maryland Workforce Exchange’s program search tool or Skillup Southern Maryland, a free platform that offers a range of courses and certifications.

Looking at jobs or promotions you are interested in and assessing where you have skills gaps is a great way to determine how to upskill, Hubley Luckwaldt said.

“What’s the difference between your resume and that of someone who has the job?” she said. Look at LinkedIn to see the job descriptions for roles that interest you and analyze what skills would get you closer to becoming an ideal candidate.

And most importantly, network. Set up informational interviews with people who have jobs that you want and ask what skills helped them get there.

“If you’re a federal worker, a lot of people will be sympathetic and want to help,” Hubley Luckwaldt said. “Let them help.”