5 Reasons Why the IT Skills Gap No Longer Matters

You’re not imagining things if you think it’s harder than ever to find staff skilled in emerging technologies. Though improved in recent years, there remains a dearth of technical professionals skilled in big data, machine learning, AI, cloud and analytics functions. The bad news is that the skills gap still exists. The good news is that gap matters less because businesses have changed how they approach this challenge.

Here are five reasons why the skills gap no longer matters or, at the very least, matters far less than it used to.

1. Managed Services Are More Accessible Than Ever. Reliance on managed services is becoming more widespread, as are the number of experienced vendors providing those services. The advent of cloud services meant that businesses no longer needed to overbuild and invest in the maintenance of on-premises data centers. Similarly, the rise of managed services signals that the enterprise no longer needs to maintain large IT teams. Most businesses don’t or won’t need to employ teams fully skilled in these technologies around the clock. Instead, enterprises require specialized skill sets for defined, time-limited projects and specific initiatives. Managed services teams are proficient at managing a project from start to finish, in skilling up internal teams so they can take over management once the managed services engagement is complete and providing specialized knowledge needed to execute specific initiatives.
2. Complicated Tech Has Been Simplified. The creators and vendors of complicated technologies continue to simplify installation and management, which makes specialized team members less necessary. Simplification through intuitive GUIs, logic-driven models and automated processes allows IT professionals with varied levels of experience to successfully perform complex tasks.
3. Training Providers Find and Fill Skills Gaps. Tech managers sometimes find themselves guessing about the skill sets of their teams. Professional training providers offer the expertise to test personnel and define exactly what skills are missing and what skills can translate well to other fields. It’s also their job to prescribe a training plan that can mitigate for the lack of skills.
4. Enterprises Are More Willing to Train Existing Staff. Businesses have become amenable to investing in current staff to bridge skills gaps, or even investing in people new to the tech field, with the understanding that skills in one area can translate into aptitude in another field. From internal training led by experienced staff, learning programs coordinated through managed services engagements and partnerships with community colleges and universities, businesses can make proactive efforts to prepare their teams for the demands that new technologies make on their workforce.
5. Retirees Provide a New Talent Source To Be Tapped. Since 2010, 10,000 baby boomers have reached the age of 65 each day. While some choose to embrace retirement, others seek a second act. From this group, employers find people with experience who seek flexible or part-time work arrangements, and are willing to share their experience with younger workers, as well as those who embrace newer technologies and jump feet first into learning new skills.

Is your enterprise facing a skills gap that needs to be filled? Do you have strategic initiatives that can’t move forward without experienced tech personnel to execute them? Engage a managed services provider to help you simplify, automate and accelerate your business by leveraging skilled and experienced technical specialists, support managers and technical advisors.

Has a skills gap impaired the technical innovation and digital business journey of your enterprise? Discover how managed services from CenturyLink can fill that gap and propel your business forward.

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