Harry Gooding of Hays heard from two tech leaders about how distance learning not only helps close the skills gap, but can benefit core lines of businesses.
We are currently witnessing unprecedented growth in the role of technology, not only in the world of work but also in our daily lives. As a result, more and more jobs are being created that require digital skills. However, the number of skilled candidates required to fill these roles is not high enough.
John Perks, global principal architect of the NextGen professionals program at ServiceNow, and Simon Maskrey, senior global partner manager at Salesforce for Trailhead, discussed how their organizations approached the matter and their thoughts on why businesses would benefit from helping close digital skills. gap.
Why do you reach out to people and how?
Regarding the need for digital skills in the modern world of work, Maskrey pointed to a report from the World Economic Forum, which found that 50pc of all employees will need to retrain by 2025 to keep pace with the state of technological change. .
Similarly, he also cited a recent report commissioned by Salesforce from International Data Corporation, in which it determined that by 2026 there will be 9.3m new jobs that will require Salesforce skills.
Who can take these jobs? Through its NextGen program, Perks explains how ServiceNow looks at what some might consider alternative talent sources. “We recognize that the people we want to start work with aren’t looking at LinkedIn and aren’t seen by current talent agencies.” He emphasizes the not for profit as provided by talented candidates.
There’s no right way to approach this, but both Perks and Maskrey see the benefit of readily available online content. The first said that, at ServiceNow, “the practice is quite traditional that we still use a virtual classroom, but we also took those classes online to create an on-demand experience, with a combination of video, simulator and classic on -screen writing. “
Maskrey commented on how the pandemic forced a change of attitude towards teaching methods. “Outside the US, there was a huge level of resistance to distance learning and virtual classrooms until about two years ago… Until then many people thought you couldn’t learn online and that, for best premium education, you need to be in a room with people. I don’t think the truth is that it’s not true. ”
As a result of the lack of access to classrooms, as well as travel restrictions, there has been more emphasis on distance learning. Maskrey continues: “It made it more affordable, flexible and reasonable and had a lot of positives.
“Our approach to that is to provide access to education, regardless of location, financial situation etc. Trailhead was launched to be free, flexible and to provide a solution for people to learn and thrive at their own pace. Learning is delivered in bite-size chunks, so if you need to know how to complete a particular task or action, you can just go and learn how to do that. “
How do we close the gap in digital skills?
“The only way we can close the digital skills gap is by teaching people digital skills,” Perks said. However, he acknowledges that one of the biggest obstacles to overcome is not finding people to learn, but people who can teach.
“One of the problems is that all the people who are good at practicing digital skills are already busy working out their digital skills. We have to accept that we need to raise those teachers-we need them encourage, develop the courses they will teach and give them the opportunity to teach it. ”
Maskrey expanded the idea of teaching and training, but again through online resources rather than less flexible courses. He praised the “two strategies of actually providing information and teaching you what to do, but then you do it in a safe environment where you don’t pull over your company’s entire system!”
Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of “helping employers understand that they need to have a strategy, and that they will need to try to make sure they are investing in the growth and development of their people.”
Getting companies behind employee education
One thing to say that organizations have the potential to close the skills gap, but another to encourage them to do so. What can be done to convince those companies that are reluctant to offer training opportunities to their workers?
“A company needs to see that when they invest in development that yes, there is a financial cost, but they are investing in that person and their position in the company,” Maskrey said.
“It is a waste of that investment if you lose that person by not developing or growing them. At the end of the day, if you invest millions and millions in technology but you don’t get people and learn the strategy with it, you’re wasting that investment. ”
Perks are sad that businesses are slow to realize this. He suggests a solution, that 20pc of an employee’s time be devoted to learning, and offers an interesting example of why this technique benefits business.
“If you have a consultant and you train them to be senior consultants, you can charge more for their services. Charging them at 100pc will not yield as much as charging them at 80pc, giving them time to practice and then charging 80pc at a higher rate.
Perks added that this increases the likelihood of retaining top talent. “When we already have employees within a company, we say a lot about their loyalty but we have to give them something to get that loyalty. Improving their opportunities, prospects and value to us is one way to do that. ”
Maskrey agrees, citing a workplace report on LinkedIn that found that 94pc of individuals would stay with their company if it invested in their personal development.
As well as upskilling, Perks also looks at how companies can reap the rewards of cross-skilling by adding a diverse range of views and experiences to their workforce.
“If you take someone from the service industry and put them in the IT industry, they have a completely different perspective on the world that adds huge value. Cross-skilling, as well as upskilling, always has a high value. “
When is the right time to upskill?
When it came time to upskill, Maskrey and Perks were united in their judgment.
“Anytime from age 16 to age 66.”, Perks said. “There’s never a bad time to upskill. As an older person, I’m learning something new every day-there’s always a chance.”
Maskrey added: “It should be a continuous activity. There will never come a point where there are no more opportunities to learn.”
By Harry Gooding
Harry Gooding is the director of Hays Enterprise Technology Practice for the UK and Ireland. A version of this article appeared previously on the Hays Technology blog.
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