Build a Skills Roadmap * LearnMe

How to Build a Skills Roadmap for 2026: A Practical Guide for South African Businesses

As South African businesses enter a new year, one question sits quietly behind performance, compliance, and growth conversations: Do we have the right skills in place to support where we’re going?

A skills roadmap is not a nice-to-have document. It is a practical planning tool that connects people development to business strategy, compliance requirements, and long-term sustainability. When built properly, it removes guesswork, reduces last-minute pressure, and helps organisations invest in skills that actually deliver value.

Here’s how to build a skills roadmap for 2026 that works in the South African context.

1. Start with Business Direction, Not Training Lists

Before identifying skills gaps, clarify where the business is heading in the next 12–24 months. Growth plans, operational changes, new markets, technology upgrades, or restructuring will all influence the skills required.

A strong skills roadmap begins by asking:

What will this business need to do differently in 2026?
Which roles will become more critical?
Where is performance currently being constrained by skills gaps?

This ensures development is aligned to strategy, not reactive or generic.

2. Assess Current Skills and Capabilities

Once business priorities are clear, assess the current skills landscape. This includes:

Existing qualifications and training completed
Practical workplace competencies
Soft skills such as communication, adaptability, and problem-solving
Leadership and supervisory capability

This assessment forms the foundation of both the Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and the Annual Training Report (ATR), making them far more than compliance documents.

3. Use WSP and ATR as Strategic Tools

The Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) outlines planned training and development for the year ahead, while the Annual Training Report (ATR) reflects on training already completed.

When approached strategically, WSP and ATR:

Provide a structured view of workforce development
Support better training investment decisions
Improve engagement with SETAs
Strengthen access to funding opportunities
Support broader BEE and compliance requirements

Rather than treating these submissions as once-a-year admin, businesses should use them to guide skills investment throughout the year.

4. Prioritise Skills That Drive Performance

Not every skills gap needs immediate attention. A good roadmap prioritises:

Skills linked directly to productivity and delivery
Skills that support leadership and team effectiveness
Skills required for compliance and regulatory alignment
Skills that build future talent pipelines, including learnerships

This balance between soft skills, technical skills, and compliance-related development is key to sustainable performance.

5. Plan Development Across the Year

Spacing development across the year reduces disruption and improves uptake. A roadmap should outline:

What training happens when
Who is responsible
How progress will be measured
How learning will be applied in the workplace

This structured approach makes development manageable and measurable.

6. Review, Adjust, and Improve

A skills roadmap is not static. Regular check-ins allow businesses to adjust plans based on operational realities, workforce changes, and evolving priorities.

Organisations that review and refine their roadmap throughout the year avoid year-end scrambles and build stronger, more resilient teams.

Building Skills with Purpose

In 2026, the most successful South African businesses will be those that treat skills development as a strategic investment, not a compliance burden.

With the right roadmap in place, skills planning supports performance, strengthens compliance, and equips people to deliver with confidence.

Partnering with an experienced Skills, Compliance and HR partner can simplify this process and ensure development efforts are aligned, effective, and sustainable.