How to Upskill Your Workforce for AI Using LinkedIn’s New Framework
Let’s talk about the challenge everyone in Learning and Development (L&D) is facing right now: upskilling and reskilling employees for AI.
If you feel overwhelmed by how quickly AI is changing work and how to help your organization adapt, you’re not alone. A 2024 report from LinkedIn and Microsoft, the 2024 Annual Work Trend Index, reveals some eye-opening stats. AI is already part of the workplace for 75% of knowledge workers. However, 60% of leaders admit their organizations lack a clear plan to implement AI.
Translation: Employees are using AI whether their organization is ready or not. That’s where L&D comes in.
Aneesh Raman, a workforce expert at LinkedIn, sums it up perfectly: “The urgency every company is feeling to build AI skills gives talent development pros a new seat at the table.” In other words, this is your moment. AI isn’t just a shiny new tool; it’s a chance for L&D teams to shine by leading the charge on AI literacy and skills. I’’ll go further and say that with the right training L&D has the opporutnity to become AI knowledge curators of their organization.
To help Learning and Development teams LinkedIn has developed a five-level framework for upskilling employees for AI. It’s designed to guide organizations through building essential AI skills for employees at every level.
LinkedIn’s example of an AI Upskilling Framework
An upskilling framework to help you prepare teams for AI
Here’s the good news: not every employee needs the same AI skills. An entry-level admin and a machine learning engineer aren’t going to need identical training. LinkedIn’s framework breaks AI upskilling into five levels:
Understanding: Basic AI knowledge for everyone.
Applying: Teaching employees how to use AI in their everyday work.
Building: Equipping power users and developers to create with AI.
Training and Maintaining Models: Upskilling engineers to manage AI systems.
Deeply Specializing: Helping technical specialists stay ahead in advanced AI applications.
The goal? To upskill employees based on their specific roles, skills, and needs without overwhelming anyone.
Breaking Down the Five Levels of AI Upskilling
Level 1: Understanding AI Basics
Everyone in your organization, from the CEO to the intern, needs to understand what AI, what it does well, and what it doesn’t. This gives everyone a foundation for working with AI.
Start with the basics:
What can AI do? (Think summarizing meetings or drafting emails.)
What can’t AI do? (Building relationships or replacing human judgment.)
What does responsible AI use look like at your organization?
Here’s a great example from Kraft Heinz: During their 2023 global learning day, they focused on foundational topics like “What is Generative AI?” and “How is AI Used at Kraft Heinz?” to get everyone on the same page.
Take Action: Align with your compliance, IT, and legal teams to set AI guidelines and make sure employees understand them.
Level 2: Applying AI to Everyday Work
Once employees know the basics, it’s time to get hands-on. This level is about teaching people how to work with AI tools to make their jobs easier and more efficient.
Think of this as where curiosity meets practice. Employees learn things like how to write better prompts for AI chatbots or how to use AI tools for brainstorming, writing, or analyzing data.
PwC nailed this stage by rolling out engaging, multi-format AI training courses, gamified workshops, and bitesize video content. Over 75,000 employees across the U.S. and Mexico gained the skills to start experimenting with AI at work.
Take Action: Meet with team leaders to find out how employees are already using AI, then create the space for those power users to share their examples to inspire others.
Level 3: Building with AI
This is where things get interesting. At this level, you’re training developers to create with AI, not just use it.
Employees might work with no-code tools to develop AI workflows or dive into APIs to build custom AI applications. This level is all about creating solutions tailored to your organization’s needs. For example, developers might learn to use OpenAI’s APIs to build a chatbot specific to your customer service needs.
Take Action: Start a pilot program focused on high-impact functions like marketing or customer operations. Keep track of wins and scale from there.
Level 4: Training and Maintaining AI Models
This level is for your data scientists and engineers, the ones building and fine-tuning AI systems. The focus here is on keeping technical talent ahead of the curve in a field that’s evolving faster than ever.
The stakes here are high. IDC predicts a global shortfall of 4 million developers by 2025, which means upskilling your engineers isn’t just a good idea, it’s mission-critical. A chances are, your engineers are already upskilling themselves for AI.
Take Action: Partner with senior engineering leaders to pinpoint skill gaps and prioritize ongoing learning for these teams.
Level 5: Deep Specialization
Your R&D teams, data scientists, and AI specialists live here. These are the folks who need advanced AI skills, whether they’re working on neural networks, cybersecurity, or cloud-based AI solutions.
This group faces a unique challenge: The skills they need change rapidly. Continuous learning is non-negotiable.
Take Action: Work with managers to tie upskilling to career growth and reward top learners to keep motivation high.
Why This Framework Matters
Generative AI came roaring into our organizations and dramatically changed our priorities. This is L&D’s moment to lead. Generative AI isn’t just another tool, it’s a shift in how we work. By applying LinkedIn’s framework, you have a place to start for your upskilling and reskilling initiatives.
Take the First Step
Upskilling for AI might feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Start small. Introduce foundational AI knowledge to your team, then build from there. Use LinkedIn’s framework as a guide to ensure every employee gets the skills they need.
Remember: The key to success is staying curious, adaptable, and proactive. AI is changing fast, and the organizations that embrace continuous learning will be the ones that thrive.
Need a AI skills training workshop? Let’s get in touch.