Bridging the Skills Gap With Upcoming Workshops

The skills gap in the workforce is becoming increasingly dramatic. According to the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 74% of hiring managers are experiencing a skills gap in the workforce, which makes hiring top talent a challenge. This means that there is an abundance of opportunities for skilled job seekers right now.



And job seekers recognize that they need to keep learning. The Pew Charitable Trust found that 87% of adults in the workforce acknowledge that it will be essential or important for them to get training and develop new skills throughout their careers to keep up with changes in the workplace.

But which skills should you focus on? Which skills are in demand in today's hot job market? 

Today’s skill gap is focused on 4 main categories:

-    Soft skills

-    Digital, Tech, and Data skills

-    Leadership skills

-    Industry-specific skills

Soft Skills 

Soft skills are related to how you work with others. They include the obvious like collaboration and communication and cover more nuanced skills like emotional intelligence, persuasion, and curiosity. The good news is that you can easily improve your soft skills with some concentrated effort. One effective way to start is to think about your listening skills. Are you already starting to formulate a response when someone is speaking? If you can quiet your mind and focus on the speaker you will strengthen your listening skills which will help you with interpersonal communication. 

This Spring, the UW Tacoma Professional Development Center will be offering workshops on several core soft skills valuable for every professional: 

•    Facilitating Effective Meetings (April 27)   

•    Designing and Leading Change (May 18 & 25)  

Digital, Tech, and Data Skills

As we continue to operate in remote and hybrid work environments, the ability to stay on top of your digital skills has become a skill that can certainly distinguish you in your organization. In addition, as big data and analytics become an increasing part of the business. Among the top 20, fastest-growing occupations include statisticians and data scientists, and analysts.

UW Tacoma’s School of Engineering and Technology and UW Tacoma’s Milgard School of Business offer courses and certificates that can give you technical, data and analytics skills. These include Data Science Certificate, Graduate Certificate in Software Development Engineering, and Foundations in Data Analytics.

Upcoming Info Sessions:

Data Science Certificate Info Session (Fall 2022 Cohort)

Friday, April 15, 12 pm

Register for Info Session

Graduate Certificate in Software Development Engineering

Wednesday, May 15, 12:30 pm

Register for Info Session 

Tuesday, June 21, 12:30 pm

Register for Info Session

 

Leadership Skills

Leadership skills are applicable in every job regardless of your title or position. As we have seen recently, good leadership skills are revealed in times of success and crisis. Key to strong leadership skills are resilience, risk-taking, motivation, decision-making, and delegation. Most people in management roles may be subject experts but have not stopped to strengthen their management and leadership skills. Spending effort cultivating leadership skills can distinguish you from the pack. Upcoming UW Tacoma PDC Spring workshops can give your leadership skills a boost. 

• Unpacking Failed DEI Efforts (April 27) 

• The OD Toolkit: Aligning the Organization for Results (May 11) 

• Designing and Leading Change (May 18 & 25) 

Industry-Specific Skills

Industry-specific skills are those related to your sector. Again, there are many instances where people have been promoted or hired with subject matter expertise but are lacking advanced knowledge in their industry. Luckily, many onboarding experiences can include opportunities to understand your sector deeper. 

More Options with UW Tacoma

At the UW Tacoma Professional Development, we offer a wide range of learning options that can provide you with the opportunity to upskill yourself while working full-time. From our certificate programs to our self-paced, on-demand courses, you can take steps to upskill which fit into your life and budget. This summer we will be offering 18 free lunchtime webinars where you can get a taste of our flavors of professional development. More information on that is coming soon, but if you have questions, please contact us.