Editor's Comments: Countries around the world are facing skills gaps and people shortages. Israel is implementing an innovative program that recognizes the value of older skilled engineering workers. Ironically it is the retirements from the workforce of baby boomers that is partially to blame for the gap. ********** YERUSHALAYIM - The shortage of high-tech workers has prompted the Labor and Welfare Ministry to bring back retired engineers, with a new training course that w

If you are feeling the affects of the skills gap on your business then you need a workforce plan that addresses all aspects of talent acquisition & retention. Obviously you can try and recruit individuals form industry with the skills you need but another complimentary tactic is to develop an Early Talent program. Here are a few of the elements you can consider when developing your program. Co-op education Internships Work-placement programs Summer jobs/experience programs Me

Editor's Comments: I recently had an opportunity to look at a Text to Software product from SageTeaSoftware.com and was totally impressed by the ability to quickly and easily create enterprise quality software from a variety of text elements. With products like this and low code platforms as described in this article we are on the verge of a very exciting time. Low code platforms allow almost anybody to create enterprise mobile applications, but skilled developers will stil

Here are five practical tactics that will help you manage the skills gap and not have it managing you: Align your talent strategies with your business goals Create a skill gap plan Be open to up-skilling and create a learning culture within your organization Look at untapped pools of talent to broaden and diversity your recruiting Position your company as a talent destination by investing in your employer brand & recruitment marketing For more information on the LegacyNEXT pr

Revising the whole education system, driving broader access to the Internet as a learning and information delivery mechanism, getting the youth online and trying to adapt learning programmes to market realities are some of the ways to address unemployment among young people. This is the word from Brahim Ghribi, head of government relations of Middle East and Africa at Nokia. He believes SA and other African nations need to work on reviewing their education systems and help yo

Editor's Comments: The construction industry in Canada and the U.S. is facing a similar shortage of skilled artisans such as plumbers, masons and painters. One of the critical first steps to closing this gap is for parents and guidance teachers to encourage their children to go into the skilled trades. ********** Investors in the real estate sector have decried the shortage of skilled artisans in the industry. Their concern is that there are more engineers and architects tha

Editor's Comments: When I started specializing in the skills gap area a few years ago I had a lot of people say things like "What skills gap?" or "That's going to be like Y2K - a nonevent." Unfortunately, the skills gap/skills shortage is not fictional and yet another industry is reporting serious shortage. The cause of the skills gap is complex and a lack of high-quality STEM education is a major contributor. If you want to really understand the background on the skills ga

Editor's Comments: I read a lot of articles on the skills gap in technology, manufacturing, construction and hospitality but few are as enlightening and affirming as this one! Schweitzer Engineering is doing what is right for their organization. They are closing their skills gap and creating a culture where employees have an opportunity to excel, up-skill, re-skill and retrain to become even more valuable to the company. The fact that they look beyond age and disabilities

Editor's Comments: The skills gap is surfacing in a variety of industries such as technology, manufacturing, construction and, as this article highlights, hospitality. ********** Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) has welcomed the Federal Government’s commitments to training more apprentices. R&CA CEO John Hart said that both the Skilling Australians Fund and Industry Specialist Mentoring for Australian Apprentices Program, which were announced as part of the 2017-18 Fede

Editor's Comments: Scotland is an attractive place to do business but the UK-wide skills shortage coupled with Brexit is hampering growth because 1/3 of tech hires come from elsewhere in the European Union. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out over the coming months. ********** A lack of suitable candidates for jobs remains a major concern for tech firms in Scotland, an industry survey has found. The annual skills and recruitment survey by trade body Technol