Technological advancements and the impacts from the pandemic are changing the way we work, and in turn, changing the skills employees need to perform their jobs. The World Economic Forum estimates that 50% of employees will need to be reskilled by 2025, and many business leaders are expecting those skills to be learned on the job.

To prepare for these changes, many organizations are prioritizing reskilling and upskilling initiatives this year. In fact, LinkedIn Learning’s 2021 Workplace Learning Report cited upskilling and reskilling as the top priority for learning and development (L&D) professionals this year. Our own reader survey results echo this finding, with 50% of respondents revealing that closing skill gaps is a top area of focus for their organization in 2021.

This edition of Training Industry Magazine focuses on this important issue and examines how L&D can close current skills gaps to enable employees to perform their jobs as the business evolves. From putting continuous learning principles into practice to building organizational resilience, L&D plays an integral role in preparing employees to excel in their current and future roles.

The pandemic may have ushered in a host of challenges and change, but it also illuminated the weaknesses and gaps that already existed within organizations. Most organizations are beginning to determine where they are and where they want the company to go. Market leaders have already begun the journey of reskilling their workforce to embrace next generation skill sets that create a competitive advantage through people. Whether it’s preparing your organization with the skills to manage remote employees, critical thinking and problem-solving, embracing digital fluency, building resiliency and stress management, or even improving proficiency on existing and evolving corporate systems, the challenge ahead is significant. Organizations are defining their priority skill sets to provide focus and a road map to creating a future-ready workforce.

The world of work will only continue to evolve, so L&D must prioritize employee skills development moving forward. L&D must partner with company leadership to identify future areas of growth and expansion for the business to ensure employees are ready to execute on their vision.

As always, we love to hear your thoughts on the perspectives shared in this edition. Feel free to send any suggestions for us to consider.