Thanks to the growing demand for Global Capability Centers (GCCs), the reskilling market is witnessing accelerated growth. ANI’s recent article ‘GCCs drive surge in India’s reskilling market, attracting international interest’ shares, as per industry experts, investing in reskilling programs has become a central part of the strategies of many global firms to keep their Indian teams skilled to global standards.  

If you lead a GCC, then you’d know that the game has changed. Your teams are moving way beyond handling back-office tasks; they are a strategic asset, driving innovation for your company. This shift, a key part of the future of work, is exciting. But it also sets a challenge in its way. It raises the question, are your people skilled and equipped enough to meet this emerging demand?  

To thrive, you need a smart plan for human capital management that is centered around upskilling and reskilling. 

As per a recent article published in The Hindu, “GCCs in India are undergoing a radical transformation in the scope of operations, evolving from cost-saving units into strategic innovation and value-creation hubs. This shift is driving substantial demand for skilled professionals over the next five years, stemming from both the expansion of the existing GCCs and the establishment of the new ones.” 

The GCC industry isn’t what it used to be. The earlier model was simple. It focused on getting the work done efficiently and cost-effectively. Now, you are expected to do more. You are expected to develop new products, manage complex data at scale, and become a catalyst for the digital growth of your business. It’s a full-on workforce transformation of your GCC that turns your teams into pioneers, not just operators. This is the new reality of GCC workforce development. 

Why Upskilling Isn’t Optional Anymore? 

The technologies that power your company are changing fast. If your team can’t keep up, then you will lag behind. Think of learning and development as the engine that keeps your organization moving forward. Investing in employee training and development is the only way to close the skills gap and make sure your team is ready for what’s next. 

So, how do you make this happen? It starts with a smart strategy and a training roadmap. Your corporate training strategies must be more than just a list of courses to prepare your workforce for the next-gen GCCs. The focus must be on digital skills training, enabling them to use new tech, from cloud platforms to data analytics. For example, AI upskilling in GCCs is now a must-have, not a nice-to-have, to help your team work with the latest AI tools. 

Let’s say a GCC team that used to be responsible for just manual data entry jobs. They were efficient, but their work was routine. The GCC leadership decided to launch a reskilling program for digital transformation of the GCC. With the reskilling program, they trained the team to use automated data extraction tools and cloud-based analytics dashboards. Consequently, the team went from being data processors to data analysts, identifying new business insights for their parent company. Their work became more valuable, in a way that led to their career growth as well.  

Beyond Tech: Investing in Your People

Technology adoption and skill growth are by-products in the process. It's more people-centric. If you want to keep your best talent, then you have to offer them a clear path ahead. This is where career development programs are key. When employees see a real chance for career growth opportunities within GCCs, they are more likely to stay with you. This focus on talent development in GCC is one of your best strategies for talent retention and engagement. 

Let’s consider a top-performing engineer at a GCC was thinking of leaving to join another startup. Before he could submit his resignation, his manager approached him regarding a new career development program focusing on emerging tech. The program gave him the chance to work on a cutting-edge project and get mentorship from a senior architect at the parent company’s headquarters. Hence, he decided not to quitand stay back for the chance to work on a challenging project and see a clear path for his future with the organization.  

Defining a Cultural Shift for Change Management  

Making this change stick requires a cultural shift, not just a technology one. You need smart organizational change management. Your entire organization needs to see that change is a good thing and that reskilling for digital transformation is an opportunity. When you get this right, you make your GCC a leading organization. 

Let’s say, a leader within a GCC setup faces skepticism from his team for initiating a new learning program. So, instead of forcing it, he launches a small pilot project where one team gets trained in a new automation tool. They use it to automate a tedious weekly report that would generally take several hours to complete. The team showcases the results in a company-wide meeting, and the story of their success spreads. Soon, the culture of automation is implemented across the organization with the training programs. 

The Ultimate Competitive Advantage 

To be a true GCC partner of choice, your teams must have the right mix of skills. This includes technical know-how like emerging tech training, but also human skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability. These are the true future skills for employees that separate great teams from good ones, creating the workforce for tomorrow.  

The success of your GCC largely depends on your people. By making workforce development a core part of your strategy, you are building the foundation for growth. It’s an investment that pays off in a big way. 

The journey to building a future-ready workforce is complex, but you don't have to navigate it alone. Enablr™ specializes in creating tailored workforce transformation roadmaps for GCCs just like yours. Our expert team can help you identify skill gaps, design targeted learning programs, and foster a culture of continuous learning that secures your centre’s strategic advantage. 

Learn how Enablr can turn your talent into your greatest asset. Explore our solutions today.