Editor's Comments: Trained, experienced and professional cyber security experts are in short supply around the world. The writer has clearly identified the source of this demand - the speed of the tech market, growth in security and adoption of cloud. Taken together this creates a perfect storm. I agree that education, training and reducing complexity are all part of the answer. In my opinion it is also important to develop a 'security culture' to help reduce your vulnerabil

Editor Comments: The UK has acknowledged the significance of their skills gap and have taken steps to remedy the situation. One of the most significant efforts has been their program to introduce coding to school age children, as young as four years. Another program which deserves note is the introduction of apprenticeship schemes. But these tactics have not been enough to fill the huge demand for tech skills. Start-up's and established businesses have taken advantage of UK'

Editor's Comments: This article highlights an important trend. The gig, freelance or contractor economy can offer an individual flexibility coupled with attractive compensation. For many individuals, depending upon where they are in their career, this can be very attractive. Personal experience has taught me that when organizations go this route exclusively (i.e. no full-time employees) they are only interested in one thing ...the bottom line. They will tell you otherw

The Business Higher Education Forum is the oldest American organization of senior business and higher education executives. In it's report Building a Nation of Learners it provided a list of nine skills that American workers need to compete in the twenty-first century. Leadership Teamwork Problem solving Time management Self-management Adaptability Analytical thinking Global consciousness Basic communication This report was published in 2003! I think it has stood the test o

Comment: Susan "This article is spot- on. We are generating data at an unprecedented rate and to analyze this data and turn it into actionable tactics requires talented data scientists. The challenge is that around the world these folks are difficult to find because they need both tech skills and business skills. Based upon our thirst for insights into how the consumer thinks - this shortage is not likely to get better in the immediate future . See my article Searching fo

From rapid technological advances to unprecedented tech skills shortages, mega-trends around the world, are driving a greater urgency into reassessing existing tech recruitment practices, as the people side of the equation emerges as the new risk. With so many demands on performance, the key to success is embedded in talent. Organizations need to be more innovative, they need to be stronger magnets for tech talent and they need to build talent brands and cultures that are d

IT shops with legacy systems should pay particular attention to the tech skills gap that is fast approaching with the retirement of baby boomers from the market place. Systems in legacy environments such as mainframe or AS/400 have often been in place for twenty or thirty years. They are frequently large, complex and costly to replace. Many of the applications are custom and to make the situation worse they are frequently undocumented or only partially documented. Yet, they

A program to retrain eastern Kentuckians in tech skills has been renewed for a second year. Here's why it's being championed by politicians and the tech industry. Comment Susan: Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers called the area "Silicon Holler." This region, he said, has "the best work ethic in the country." "If you're from the mountains," said Rogers, "you've got grit." It takes real grit to look to the future and reimagine what a job is. It also takes determination and collaborat

The technology skills gap is a worldwide challenge. The following article illustrates not only the problem but some creative solutions organizations are embracing to get ahead of the problem. Romanian organizations are training software developers internally after having problems recruiting people with the right skills and experience through the labour market. Companies in Romania need IT professionals with knowledge of coding, but are having to train their own teams after s