Developing Your Workforce's Future Skills

25 October 2019

It’s not uncommon nowadays to hear many stories about a skills mismatch between employers and the workforce making it really hard to fill vacancies successfully. In fact many employers are concerned that there will be a lack of sufficiently skilled people in the future to fill vacancies. Technological factors and an ageing population further complicate this matter, and enhance the requirement to re-train and reskill those already in work.

Employers and managers value communication, team working, and creativity skills highly which are essential and transferable too. Frequently though they are some of the most challenging skills to find, develop and exhibit!

Managers have significant responsibilities to further develop recruitment processes, afford and offer meaningful work experience opportunities to young people including local school children and both nurture and support an ethos of continuous learning within their organisations.

Organisations have a vision for their futures and through skills development the visions can be made reality if organisational skills development is linked to business strategy and potential growth.                   
Employers can provide highly varied and accessible routes into work, through apprenticeships and vocational training together with flexible working options.

Sometimes sector knowledge, attractiveness and perceived career paths could benefit from enhanced marketing along with local and wider community promotion. With ever increasing technological advances, managers need to take  leadership and influencing roles in considering the impact on both organisational and role design, and fully consider further automating for efficiency and improved job quality, but people too often still require assistance.

Employers need to “grow their own people” by embedding a culture of learning throughout individuals’ lives. The ability to react with learning agility will be essential in the future for people to be productive and relevant.
We need you please to get involved to equip current and future workers with the skills they will need to succeed in your organisation now and in the future.