Understanding skills gaps

In recent years, the rift between the skills that professionals currently possess and those they actually need to perform their jobs properly has been widening. This disparity is known as the skills gap, and although it is a fairly common phenomenon, it can cause significant problems for the productivity and growth of a company.

Do you want to know exactly how to identify and combat the skills gap? Below, we’ll tell you everything you need to know.

What is a skills gap?

A skills gap is any gap between the skills that employees currently have and those that a company needs them to have in order to function properly. These gaps become more evident when an employee is given the responsibility of performing a task, but lacks the skills necessary to carry it out successfully.

Imagine the scenario: a company adopts new AI-powered project management software to improve efficiency. However, its employees lack the skills they need to take advantage of predictive analytics and workflow optimization, preferring to use more traditional methods that they already know well when managing projects.

What is the outcome of this scenario? Employees are unable to take full advantage of the new software’s features, either because they do not understand it or are uncomfortable with the new technology. This causes the company to miss out on a great opportunity to improve its efficiency and productivity, and additionally leaves the door open to a host of unnecessary errors and delays.

What causes skills gaps?

The above example highlights one of the most common causes of such gaps – that is, that as new tools and technologies are introduced to the market, the skills required to effectively operate them also change just as rapidly. Companies may find that their staff is not prepared to adapt quickly enough to these changes, especially if insufficient resources have been allocated to training in the new tools and technologies.

However, this is not the only causative factor. Demographic changes also play a role – for example, when a workforce is made up of employees from previous generations who did not grow up with digital technologies; The emergence of new areas of professional specialization has also created additional challenges, as have issues with organizational culture – for example, when a company fails to establish an environment of continuous learning, leaving employees without sufficient encouragement to develop new skills.

Types of skills gaps

Regardless of the causes, skills gaps can manifest themselves in many different ways within a company. Each type of gap has its own unique characteristics and associated challenges:

Technical skills gaps

These are the lack of specific knowledge required to use tools, software or technologies related to a job. This could include anything from the ability to operate machinery to programming or data analysis skills.

Soft skills gaps

A gap in interpersonal skills such as effective communication, empathy or teamwork, which are essential for the functioning of any work environment.

Leadership skills gaps

Another of the most common gaps in companies are those relating to leadership skills, which become especially evident when leaders lack the skills needed to guide, motivate and manage conflicts between members of their teams. These gaps are particularly damaging when companies are faced with sudden changes in the market, in the technology they use, or even in their organizational structure.

Sector-specific skills gaps

Finally, sector-specific skills gaps reflect the current needs or trends of different industries. Each sector faces unique challenges that require specific skills in response – for example, the financial industry might be afflicted by insufficient data analysis, or a lack of cybersecurity experts.

How to identify skills gaps in your company

Skills gaps are usually identified through a process called gap analysis. Below, we’ll show you how you can implement this type of analysis:

Step 1: Evaluate key skills

When we talk about key skills, we mean all those competencies that are vital for the success of a company or sector, and that can generate growth opportunities. The first step is to identify them, evaluate them, and then get them in line with the company’s strategic objectives. A good way to get this started is by creating a list of all the critical skills that your company needs now and in the near future.

Step 2: Measure your team’s current skills

The second step is to measure your team’s existing skills. Surveys, self-assessments, performance reviews, interviews and reviews are all ideal for achieving this. The main objective is to build up a clear picture of each team member’s capabilities, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement.

Step 3: Compare current skills against those you need

By this stage, you already know what your company’s key skills are, and are aware of those that your professionals actually have. Now it’s time to make a direct comparison so you can visualize the existing gaps. Once identified, you can develop a strategy or action plan to combat them, which may include measures such as hiring new talent or implementing training strategies for professional development.

5 effective strategies to close the skills gap

After carrying out your analysis, it’s time to implement effective strategies to close the skills gaps you’ve discovered. Here are 5 of them:

Strategy 1: Continuous training

Continuous training is one of the best ways to keep employees up-to-date with the skills they need to achieve business objectives. This strategy involves offering professionals regular training programs that address both soft skills and technical skills through workshops, certification programs, online courses or even webinars that provide them with the necessary tools to help them develop their skills.

Strategy 2: Utilizing e-learning technologies

E-learning technologies open the door to a wide range of flexible training opportunities that are easily adaptable to different learning styles. Learning platforms allow employees to access specialized courses and educational materials at any time and place, and can also respond to specific needs, helping to prioritize key skills for companies and providing accurate information on the progress of professionals.

Strategy 3: Upskilling and reskilling

Upskilling and reskilling are two key strategies when it comes to closing skills gaps. While reskilling helps train professionals to cover new roles within the company, upskilling focuses on improving employees’ existing skills so that they can handle more complex tasks within their current role. Both approaches allow companies to leverage existing talent rather than relying solely on new hires, and enhance their organizational culture by offering employees development opportunities that make them feel valued.

Strategy 4: Strategic hiring

Strategic hiring involves hiring new talent in a way that not only meets the current needs of the company, but also aligns the process with long-term goals. This means hiring people with specific technical skills, who also have the ability to learn quickly, adapt to change, and contribute to the company’s growth and culture.

Strategy 5: Talent Planning

Finally, talent planning is a focused, strategic approach to managing skills gaps which involves identifying and anticipating the company’s future needs. In order to implement this strategy, you’ll need to identify key roles within the company, map employee development into those roles, and carry out proper succession planning. However, you’ll also need to take into account the changeability of market trends, and be ready to adjust the plan accordingly.

Success story: how Grupo AKRON brought online upskilling and reskilling to its team

Grupo Akron is a leading company in the lubricants and additives industry, with a significant presence in South America, Central America and the United States. Innovation and the professional development of its employees are embedded within its corporate culture and DNA, and form one of its most important missions. With these motivations, and with the help of isEazy, they rolled out a plan to transform their corporate training processes towards an online model – one that would guarantee the effective upskilling and reskilling of their over 700 employees.

Get access to the full success story, and discover how they managed to establish quality e-learning training, laying down specific learning paths according to position and profile, and increased their engagement and completion rates in the process.

CASE STUDY

Learn how we helped AKRON Group promote upskilling and reskilling of their workforce

See case study

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If you want to close skills gaps in your organization, it’s crucial to detect them in time before using powerful e-learning tools to offer your employees effective training programs. Don’t know where to start? Discover isEazy Skills, the most complete catalog of courses on the market, which brings you over 540 courses and programs ideal for covering any training need, profile, position or sector. Promote skills development in your team through a range of agile and attractive courses, available in different formats so employees can access them wherever they are. What are you waiting for? Request a demo today!