Bridging the Skills Gap

A major challenge facing trainers is to raise the skill level of employees so that companies can compete in this fierce knowledge-based global economy.

That was the message Bob Zimel, a National ASTD speaker, who last month shared his insight on Bridging the Skills Gap, a topic that reinforced ASTD’s Public Policy Council commitment to improving some of these core competencies.

Organizations are changing and so is the skill level needed to succeed, Zimel said. Low-skill manufacturing and service sector jobs are declining. Global competition, technological shifts, and other factors mean that employees need to sharpen existing skills, learn and apply new skills, and in some cases abandon former ways of doing business.

Workers are deficient in four major areas as a percentage across many industries:

(Source: Executive Development Associates)

• Emotional Intelligence (self-discipline, self-awareness, empathy, communicative and interpersonal skills). (50.14%)
• Management and Leadership (team-building, motivation, goal-setting, decision-making). (45.10%)
• Technical and professional abilities, such as computer skills and specialized skills needed in specific industries. (21.29%)
• Essential skills (reading, writing, math, customer service, knowledge of business). (10.64%)

The skills gap exists for a several reasons. One is that the workforce growing more slowly with the global recession. Many companies have regional hiring constraints, particularly in the retail banking and technology industries; say that the retirement of the baby boom generation will leave them with knowledge gaps in hiring replacement workers.

Another factor is fewer people are pursuing advanced degrees or certifications, and a third reason is that companies do not make an adequate commitment to training or they do not sufficiently capitalize on their investment. Training is often viewed as an event for the day or week instead of being directly applied to their work and as part of the employee’s improvement process.

How do you know if your company has knowledge and skill set gaps? Look for these key indicators:

• The skills the company needs and the abilities of the workforce are not compatible or in alignment with carrying out their job related responsibilities.
• When economic times are difficult, the company does not train employees. Training is typically the first expense to be eliminated. It should be viewed as long term employee retention that needs to be measured and modified accordingly.
• Baby Boomers will be approaching retirement. How do we recruit and train new employees to meet these knowledge and skill set gaps?

Where do you go from here?

Decide first on whether you want to build your training internally or obtain training through an outside source. Set realistic goals as to “speed-to-competence” how quickly do you need to develop these skills after completing a thorough needs assessment and obtaining department or senior leadership approval in how will you measure the learning effectiveness of the skills developed. From the pilot training site or department you have identified, you’ll have a better understanding of the preferred delivery method. Start a phased approach from your initial participant training feedback and trainers. This will increase your organization’s chances of implementing a successful learning program.