Any business – no matter their industry – relies on having a talented group of employees with the latest skills. At the same time, companies with underskilled workers struggle to stay productive and compete in the modern economy. In short, your company needs to prevent a skills gap and its adverse effects from hampering your growth potential.
With a goal of improving your business’s productivity and profitability, explore these insights on closing an employee skills gap. Use this advice to improve your professional development program, helping upskill your current team. In the end, expect to employ a highly-talented staff while enjoying a higher retention rate.
The Importance of Preventing Skills Gaps
A recent survey of business leaders highlights the critical nature of closing any skills gap. Fifty-five percent of the respondents feel their organization currently suffers from a skills gap. Additionally, 57 percent note that upskilling their current staff helps prevent this issue from hampering their operations.
Upskilling Your Current Staff Remains Critical
Forging a robust professional development program offers a great opportunity to prevent a skills gap at your business. This is especially the case for organizations in the technology and pharmaceutical space. Simply stated, upskilling your staff ensures they stay inspired, engaged, and productive. As noted earlier, it also helps to keep the company’s retention rate as high as possible.
Encourage your employees to take advantage of the training opportunities your business provides. Rewarding them for earning a relevant certification also encourages your staff to regularly add to their skills. It’s the right approach for building a company culture focused on professional development. As a result, expect to find it easier to attract new candidates.
Encourage Current Employees to Mentor their Coworkers
In an organizational culture focused on learning, having senior employees mentor their coworkers makes perfect sense. Also, engage your company’s management team in this role. This ensures each employee has a pathway and set of goals to properly develop their skill set. Focus on both the skills relevant to their position as well as soft skills, like communication and problem-solving.
Partner With a Staffing Agency to Access Talented Professionals
Outsourcing your company’s hiring needs also offers a great chance to prevent a skills gap. A partnership with a staffing agency specializing in your company’s talent domain needs to be considered. These agencies ultimately let you add skilled professionals in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.
When searching for a top-shelf staffing agency, look no further than the team at Alpha Consulting.
As one of the top technical and pharmaceutical hiring firms in New Jersey, we provide the top-shelf candidates your business needs. Connect with us to discuss your current and future hiring plans.
