Actually Addressing Skills Gaps With Simon Gibson

The Learning & Development Podcast

If addressing Skills Gaps was as easy as plugging in a new platform filled with categorised content then L&D wouldn’t be recognised as part of the Skills Gap problem rather than addressing it. Yes, that’s right, Organisational Learning is deemed under-skilled at addressing ‘broad-based re-skilling efforts’. So how did we get here and how do we sort ourselves out? These questions - and many more are explored in this episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Training and learning are different things. We are creating a flawed system through our own educational institutions. We are taught the basics, but not taught how to apply these lessons.
• The industrial strategy council has highlighted that five million workers could become acutely underskilled in basic digital skills by 2030.
• Skills gaps are impacted both positively and negatively by more factors that many realise, including the political landscape and economic requirements of any given territory.
• Approximately, we spend 44 billion pounds per year on L&D, and yet the returns do not seem to be worth the investment.

BEST MOMENTS

'We're not addressing a skills gap - it's just keeping a nice chat going'

'We can't just go out and recruit to make this business successful - we're going to have to grow some'

'As a learning profession we have turned the other way'

'What is the outcome that we deliver, year on year, for that spend?'

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

Industrial Strategy Council ‘UK Skills Mismatch 2030’ Research Paper - https://industrialstrategycouncil.org/uk-skills-mismatch-2030-research-paper

UK’s Digital Skills Gap Poses Risk To Economic Recovery - https://news.microsoft.com/en-gb/2020/11/23/uks-digital-skills-gap-poses-risk-to-economic-recovery-research-reveals/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Simon is a modern and experienced Executive-level People Leader who has delivered meaningful commercial Change and Transformation via appropriate Learning, Organisational Development and Talent initiatives. Simon has a varied history and experience of working in different sectors and economic climates. From start-up to large multi-national companies, including NBC Universal, Fujitsu, Sonnedix and NatWest / RBS.

You can follow and connect with Simon via:

Twitter: @simon1gibson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simongibsonlearning/

ABOUT THE HOST

David James

David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.

CONTACT METHOD

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/
• Website: https://www.looop.co/