Bridging the Skills Gap

The newspapers are full of it, the skill gap. We have been receiving training and education for years, but the things that really make you better in your profession and that are useful now, such as digital skills, were often not included. Today we look differently at knowledge and competencies than we did in the past. How are we going to equip people with the skills that will be needed in the future – or actually now already? What does this mean for the employer and what can an employee do to be and remain successfully employable?

Simon Beausaert is Associate Professor Workplace Learning at the Department for Educational Research and Development, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University. He does research and has published various articles and book chapters on how to support formal and informal learning and on how to organise assessment for learning in the workplace.

Employability refers to several competencies and competencies in turn refer to knowledge, skills and certain attitudes. Simon Beausaert: “In the past, people would have said you are ‘employable’ if you have the knowledge and expertise to do your job well. But today that is different. There is much more to it than just having the necessary expertise. Take flexibility, for example. If you really want to be employable, you have to be able to deal flexibly with changes in the work environment. You have to be able to actively anticipate this.” But that’s not all according to Beausaert. You have to be a team player and be committed to the organisation. And if you think that’s it, you’re wrong. Ensuring a balance between private and professional life is also a competence that some people have more than others.