From Learning to Loyalty: How Upskilling Drives Retention
Across industries, leaders are facing the same challenge: employees aren’t staying. But they’re not always leaving for bigger paychecks, they’re leaving for bigger opportunities to grow.
According to LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions data, companies that excel at internal mobility retain employees for an average of 5.4 years, nearly twice as long as those that don’t. And LinkedIn’s Learning Report shows that 94% of employees would stay longer if their employer invested in their learning and development.
Upskilling has become a defining retention strategy, a clear signal that an employer is serious about investing in its people. Companies like Bryq and Verified First show that when growth becomes part of everyday work, the payoff is stronger morale, higher retention, and measurable business results.
Training to Trajectory
Employee development is too often reduced to PR jargon. A few mandatory training modules get dressed up as culture. Athens-based HR tech firm Bryq flips this script and embeds development into its culture from day one.
“At Bryq, upskilling starts with a little healthy self-awareness, powered by our own AI assessments,” says CEO George Kalyvas. “We measure each employee’s cognitive ability, personality traits, and skills profile, then let our Strategic Reports spotlight the strengths to build on and the gaps to close.”
What happens next is far from the usual corporate box-ticking. Managers take these insights and design hyper-targeted growth opportunities, from a focused skills course to a stretch project, all aligned with both personal ambition and business needs. “It is how Eleonora, one of our I/O psychologists, transitioned successfully into sales, and how Chryssa moved from a BDR role into Partnerships,” Kalyvas adds.
Verified First, a Boise-based software company, takes a similar approach to embedding upskilling into its culture. “Growth and development are more than tasks delegated to HR. Instead, it is a core function of our leadership model,” explains HR Generalist Sydnee Bender. At Verified First, one-on-one meetings double as career mapping sessions, where leaders and employees design tailored paths for progression and internal mobility. “Employees do not just have a job at Verified First; they have careers,” Bender says.
Together, these examples show how development has shifted from a peripheral HR activity to a core element of company culture. At Bryq and Verified First, growth is not an extra benefit but a promise embedded in everyday work.
The AI Factor: Ending the Guesswork
Is it possible to talk about work without mentioning AI in 2025? Both Bryq and Verified First lean on artificial intelligence not as a gimmick or because it dominates the headlines, but as a precision tool that optimizes their upskilling programs.
“AI has taken the random shuffle out of learning,” says Kalyvas. “With Bryq, we compare each person’s results to validated success profiles built from real performance data, so we know exactly where to focus. No more irrelevant training that no one remembers.”
In practice, this means Bryq is not just rolling out training for training’s sake. Instead, the company uses AI to identify the specific skills where employees can thrive, tailoring learning plans to strengths and aspirations. The result is development that’s highly relevant and far more likely to translate into performance.
At Verified First, AI plays a different role. “We analyze trends in marketing, technology, and other fields to understand what is new and what skills are becoming essential,” Bender says. That data feeds into personalized development plans, ensuring employees are always skilling up for the future, not the past.
The outcome is the same: AI allows upskilling to become proactive, targeted, and measurable, rather than reactive or one-size-fits-all.
ROI That’s Hard to Ignore
For executives questioning whether upskilling can deliver real business impact, the results speak clearly.
“When you focus on the skills that actually matter, things move faster,” says Kalyvas. “We see shorter ramp-up times, smoother transitions when priorities shift, and teams that are ready to take on new challenges without missing a beat.” Bryq has even reduced external hiring, relying instead on its own people to step into new roles. “That saves time, budget, and sends a clear signal to the team: your future is here.”
Verified First has seen similar returns. “The most direct result we have seen is increased retention,” Bender notes. “Our investment in development signals that we see employees as people, not just workers. As our employees develop new skills and gain confidence, they are better equipped to think outside the box and innovate.”
The story is reinforced by data. Bryq reports lower attrition in teams exposed to targeted development, and customers using its platform have improved retention by up to 18 percent. Verified First echoes the same trend: employees who see career mobility do not look elsewhere.
These outcomes highlight an important truth. Upskilling is not only about personal growth. It is a lever for efficiency, agility, and innovation that cascades through the business.
Retention Is the New Recruitment
The broader labor market makes this shift even more urgent. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report shows that 93 percent of organizations are concerned about employee retention. In 2024, roughly 40 million employees left their jobs, and projections for 2025 estimate between 35 and 40 million voluntary quits.
On the other hand, research shows that companies with strong reskilling and upskilling programs can reduce turnover by as much as 30 percent.
The takeaway is clear. In an era of shrinking budgets and rising attrition risks, companies cannot afford to treat learning as a side project. It is the strategy.
“Verified First believes people will stay where they feel valued and supported, and our upskilling initiatives are a tangible way we demonstrate that value,” says Bender. That investment has created a culture where employees see not just roles, but futures.
For Kalyvas, the focus is on building momentum inside the workforce that can withstand disruption. “When people see you investing in their growth, they stick around,” he says.
The message is unambiguous. The most forward-thinking companies are no longer asking how to hire faster. They are asking how to grow better.
The Bottom Line
What was once dismissed as a corporate buzzword has now matured into a business imperative. It is not about learning for its own sake, but about driving retention, strengthening employer brand, and improving bottom-line performance. Employees are demanding it too.
As companies like Bryq and Verified First demonstrate, the new employer value proposition is not free snacks or corner offices. It is the promise and the proof that if you stay, you will grow.
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