If you’re feeling the effects from the skills gap, you’re not alone. According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Trendsetter Barometer report, 57 percent of companies plan to hire this year, but 25 percent cite finding qualified workers is a barrier to growth.
There are ways to find these tough candidates, and companies are doing so by using methods from social media to video interviewing. But there’s another resource you simply can’t overlook: nurturing current employees.
According to a new survey of 400 employers by College for America, 71 percent of employers actually prefer developing existing employees into management roles rather than hiring new employees. However, 87 percent of these employers cite a lack of promotable skills in their workforce as the main hurdle.
Wondering how you can nurture your existing talent to jump the skills gap? Here are several ways:
1. Implement a Mentorship Program
One of the main reasons people quit is due to lack of career development opportunities, and mentoring is a powerful tool to combat this. With the vast majority of U.S. workers (70 percent) disengaged at work, implementing a mentorship program is not only a great way to retain top talent and create an engaging work environment, but also identify and develop their interests beyond their current position.
Meeting with employees individually to discuss their goals, new ideas, and challenges provides an avenue for insight and encouragement as they move forward in their career.
2. Provide Much Needed Management Experience
If you’re hoping to move employees into management positions, they should be familiar with the different types of skills a manager may need. This may mean allowing employees to run a meeting, take charge of a presentation, or oversee a project. These tasks allow employees to manage their coworkers and develop leadership skills necessary for a promotion. It will also help them learn how to keep a team on task and working together productively, which is something every manager faces on a daily basis.
3. Invest in Additional Training
If current employees lack the skills necessary for other positions you’re hoping to fill, find a way to bridge the gap through training. Offering to cross-train or re-skill current employees is beneficial for a number of reasons, but mostly, it creates a flexible environment that enables you to promote from within. Instead of spending time and money hiring an external candidate, you can almost seamlessly move a current employee into the position. Then, you can find candidates for lower level jobs, which are easier to fill.
Ideally, this training could come from a more senior employee, although this can be difficult if your senior employees are already strapped for time. Other options for additional training include enrolling employees in online classes or offering reimbursement for continuing education.
Developing existing employees into management roles can be great for your bottom line and your employees’ careers. Through mentorship, experience, and training, you can ensure your current employees have the skills necessary for promotions and avoid the skills gap altogether.
Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, a video interview solution used by more than 2,000 companies across the globe. Learn more about using video interviewing to jump the skills gap and connect with Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter.
