The skills shortage in the corporate jobs arena isn’t going away anytime soon. But there’s a silver lining. The skills deficit is an opportunity for your company to become even more attractive to current and potential employees. By implementing an employer-based skills training program, you can give your company an edge by increasing employee retention and strengthening your brand.
According to The New Talent Landscape, a study by the Society for Professional Resource Management, basic and applied skills among workers are in shorter supply now than they were 12 months ago.
Human resources professionals reported that workers are less proficient in basic skills: they make more grammar and spelling errors, for instance, and are less familiar with computers, even tools as basic as a mouse.
Applied skills deficits are even more pronounced. The most endangered among job applicants were critical thinking/problem-solving, professionalism/work ethic, leadership, written communications and teamwork/collaboration.
What can you do?
Take a good look at this list and use it as a blueprint for an employer-based training program.
Helping your current employees sharpen their skills, in-house or through a collaboration with a third-party educational group, will fuel employee engagement and bulk up your retention plan. If you show employees that you’re willing to invest in their future and that you care about their ability to achieve success, they’ll be more likely to repay you by staying around, adding value to your company.
In addition to a more skilled and prepared staff, you may find that you can fill more roles internally. The report states that the most effective approach is to “train existing employees to take on hard-to-fill roles.” Win-win.
To create a program, look into conferences, workshops, seminars, webinars or bring in a trainer who can customize skills training that will be valuable for everyone.
“An engaged workforce can drive financial performance. Studies have shown that employees who are truly engaged are more likely to stay and contribute to the organization.”
“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.” – Sybil F. Stershic