Skills Gap Analysis
The Skills Gap is a term utilized to describe the current disconnect between what employers need from future job candidates, and what is actually being presented. This disconnect, or "gap" is also present in the educational pipeline, as students transition from Preschool through Higher Education. Therefore, it is vital we identify the skills that employers feel are lacking in order to prepare individuals with the skills necessary to obtain jobs. These skills should be fostered in primary, secondary and higher education in order to produce employable individuals.
Visit the sections below for more information on the skills gap as well as how to "fix" the current gap and prepare individuals for the workforce.
"There has always been a gap
between what colleges produce and what employers want...but now it's
widening. Employers are under pressure to do more with less"
(Mara Swan, Executive Vice President of Global Strategy and Talent at Manpower
Group, What It Takes to Make New College Graduates Employable)
"College graduates have the
'basic substantive' skills necessary for employment...specific 'life' skills
are missing from newly minted graduates. Time management, follow-up,
leadership skills, prior work experience, ability to write and social
perceptiveness were cited as life skills that new graduates lack."
(Connecting Higher Education and the Region's Growing
Industries, 2011)