What we learnt from researching the skills obsession

I think the great thing about learning & development is that it’s never boring. In a rapidly changing world, learning remains of great importance. It’s often part of the solution to major social issues. But themes follow each other at a rapid pace.

As a training provider, you can’t just jump into everything. Don’t worry; we’re keeping an eye on it for you. And when we do, we take it seriously. This time, we tackled the skills obsession.

Under the spell of the skills obsession

The world of learning and development has been captivated by skills for some time now. We wouldn’t be aNewSpring if we weren’t curious about the how, what and why of this topic. That’s why we decided a few months ago to investigate the skills obsession along with the community.

The insights of experts in the field and various learning pioneers formed the basis. These, in combination with hard figures and facts from a pile of reports, ensured a successful deep dive into the topic. In this article, we share the most important insights with you, including links to relevant content.

Global shortage of skills

In 2021, in-depth reports were already being written about the skills gap and the shortage of skills in the professional world. This has, of course, trickled down to the world of training. Investments in edtech (learning technology) are exploding, and the skills obsession is a trending topic worldwide. Governments of various countries have also created new financial benefits for people who want to reskill or upskill themselves.

There’s one group that plays an important role in this: training providers. They’re crucial when it comes to helping people learn new skills. Yet, there are still many training providers who think the skills obsession is off-topic for them. Are you one of them? Well, the series of insights from the past few months might change your mind.

Why is there so much attention on skills?

When the shortage of skills became a topic of conversation, many fingers pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic. This called for a different way of working and therefore also a new set of skills. Sounds logical.

However, during the research, we discovered this wasn’t the only factor causing it: the shortage was mainly caused by technological developments. Consider the energy transition: central heating engineers suddenly have to know all about heat pumps and solar panels. The pandemic has mainly accelerated this. Besides, local impulses, such as Brexit, also play a role.

How can training providers benefit from this?

The first step is understanding and recognising that this issue affects your customers. This means that there are opportunities for you as a training provider, if you know how to handle it properly.

Talk to your customers, talk about their challenges and see how you can help them. It’s important to be well-informed and to really understand the problem they’re experiencing. And knowing better is doing better, so be prepared to adapt, and update your products and services. Not sure how to start a conversation like this? Take a look at the results of the Global Sentiment Survey.

What exactly can training providers do?

Now that you know why the skills obsession is at play and how to deal with it, it’s time to act. For example, combine soft skills and hard skills in your offer. Several learning pioneers we spoke to mentioned this as one of the best practices.

Consider combining training for technical skills, such as coding, with human skills. This way, learners can distinguish themselves within the organisation or in the labour market. Also make sure the solutions are proven to be effective, and based on methods that have been scientifically researched and tested. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.