The Re-skilling Revolution: Tackling the Skills Gap Crisis

One of the far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the Great Resignation, a trend in which employees are leaving jobs and companies by the millions. To combat the workforce loss, many employers are realizing that a key to retaining people is being flexible — not just about job perks, but about the job itself. 

The Association for Corporate Growth’s November breakfast meeting focused on The Re-skilling Revolution: Tackling the Skills Gap Crisis. Panelists talked about the challenges employers and employees face as they tackle a post-COVID and 21st Century world that doesn’t rely on or value some traditional corporate training. 

In the energy sector, for instance, fossil fuels and coal-fire plants are giving way to solar and wind power, said Kevin Bryant, executive vice president and chief operations officer for Evergy. 

“We’re not shoveling coal; we’re managing the sun,” Bryant said. “Our lineman are working on tablets. They have to have computer skills.”

It’s not an easy pivot for some companies to make, all of the panelists acknowledged. The key is people, said Julie Wilson, chief people officer of Clarivate. 

“Your people are the only true sustainable competitive advantage you have as a company,” she said. 

Higher education plays an important role in the process, the panelists said. Academic leaders know this and are working with industry leaders on how to move forward. 

“We in higher education are known for moving at a glacial pace,” said Dr. Douglas Girod, University of Kansas chancellor. “We are starting to move that way, to equip our current students for today, but also how to give them the skillset to continue learning when they leave us.”

One of the ways KU has done this is through its programs at the Edwards Campus, many of which are industry-specific as they cater to a mostly working-adult population. 

“We have set up a different structure,” Girod said. “We can set up a program quickly. We want to meet the needs of the workforce at all levels.” 

The re-skilling of the workforce isn’t an easy or quick process, Bryant said. As it shuts down power plants, the company works with the employees to retrain them to transition to other jobs. It has ongoing conversations with its union management about how to help employees. 

What’s the key to success? It’s a combination of things, but increasing the amount of attention given to the situation is one of the keys, Wilson said. 

She’d especially like to see organizations work more to strengthen the skill sets and the promotability of its current employees. 

“Boards need to know what’s the sustainability and the viability of the organizations,” Wilson said. “Do you have the right pipeline for the future? 

“They need to look inside the organization for talent. Recruitment outside is focused on in an overweighted way versus pushing people inside forward. We should be spending more time on retention.” 

At Evergy, Bryant works with a professional development council that meets monthly to discuss opportunities for employees to learn and move forward. Those kinds of initiatives are essential in today’s workforce market, Girod said. 

“You have to keep thinking of new ways to do things,” Girod said. “We have to have ways to look across organizations at people who could do different jobs.”