There is a large demand for skilled labor, however, they are in short supply. In this case, businesses need to take a step back and establish their plan for bridging this skills gap. When you cannot hire skilled talent, you must create them. This will require you to look internally and externally for individuals that could use more development. Where do you start? Here are three tips to close the skills gap -
Identify the Missing Skills
In order to close the gap, you need to know what the gap holds. A common mistake here is staying in the present. However, it is important to look in all directions. Is your company’s talent at risk of upcoming retirements? Are you struggling to find experienced replacements in that field of expertise? Are employees leaving due to other growth opportunities? The truth lies right in front of you. This is the time to sit down and analyze where this gap is.
Provide Training
Once a gap is identified, it is time to look and see what training can be held. In some cases you may need to get external trainers. In other cases, you may be able to use some of your internal employees to do the teaching. It is important to remember that it is not one size fits all. There may be some employees that will need some personalized learning paths. Additionally, you may need to mix up the learning formats. This can include virtual workshops, team assignments, experiential learning, and more!
Coaching and Mentoring
It is crucial to begin partnering your more experienced workforce with your newer employees in order to transfer knowledge. This transfer will take time and you want to ensure that it is properly enforced. Many companies have programs that foster mentorship with regular one to one meetings. The truth is, mentors play a huge role in reskilling and upskilling talent. Not only do the mentee’s need coaching, but ensure that your mentors are fully equipped for this responsibility and understand its importance.
With an increasingly difficult staffing environment, we need to start closing the skills gap to ensure our businesses are prepped for growth. Once the gap is identified, it is important to begin to train our employees and provide them with mentorship programs. By following these steps, you can build programs to help your employees build their skills and increase productivity.
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