WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technology, project management and interpersonal skills are the most in-demand – and most lacking – skills in corporate America today, according to a new quarterly Skills Index by Strayer@Work, part of Strayer University. The skills gap in the United States is widely documented, and the Strayer@Work Skills Index is the first tool that provides a real-time look at talent shortages within the top industries – financial services, food and beverage, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, retail, and travel and tourism – across the country. Strayer@Work developed the index using select skills data from the public profiles of LinkedIn members in the United States.
Unlike other studies based on surveys or workforce data that can lag behind real-time insights, the Strayer@Work Skills Index provides a unique and current snapshot of skills, focusing on financial services, food and beverage, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, retail, and travel and tourism.
“Many companies are struggling to find the qualified workers they need to fill their open positions,” said Kelly Bozarth, CEO of Strayer@Work, which collaborates with companies to identify and close skills gaps in their workforces by providing innovative learning solutions, including accredited degree programs tailored to industry needs. “The immediacy of the information shared by the Strayer@Work Skills Index helps companies to better understand the talent shortages they are facing today and identify tangible solutions – rooted in career pathing, new training models, and other strategies – to close critical gaps while also attracting and retaining top talent.”
Strayer@Work will host a conference call on Thursday, March 3 at 1:00 p.m. ET to review key findings from the Skills Index. Visit http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/rewpxojs/ to register for the call and access the dial-in details.
The Strayer@Work Skills Index, which will be updated quarterly, found that technology, project management and communication skills are needed most across the seven industries evaluated. Some of the particular skills that are most desired include:
- Financial Services: P&L Management, SQL and Budget Management
- Food and Beverage: Organization and Prioritization, Communication, Time Management and Interpersonal Skills
- Healthcare: Programming, Strategy, Analysis, Database Administration, and Cross-functional Team Leadership
- Information Technology: Performance Measurement, IT Audit, Resource Allocation and Scheduling
- Manufacturing: Creativity, Analysis, Cross-functional Team Leadership and Critical Thinking
- Retail: Multi-channel Retail, District Management, Shopper Marketing
- Travel and Tourism: CPM Scheduling, Enterprise Software, and Wireless and Interactive Advertising
“According to McKinsey, U.S. companies spend over $170 billion on training & development annually, yet 92 percent of CEOs do not find a tangible link between their training programs and a return on investment,” Bozarth said. “Strayer@Work is changing that by creating learning programs designed to improve operating performance. We diagnose the skills, mindsets and behaviors that map to top performance in a particular role or set of roles. We then design learning programs to build those skills across the workforce, using methods proven effective with adult learners. Finally, we measure the return on the learning investment. Diagnose, design, and measure – it’s a powerful combination for achieving results, but it starts with better tools to assess skills gaps.”
The Strayer@Work Skills Index analyzed select skills in the public profiles of LinkedIn members in the United States who work in the financial services, food and beverage, healthcare, hospitality, information technology, manufacturing, and retail industries. It measures both the supply and demand of the select skills. The supply side of the formula measures how prevalent select skills are within the profiles of members in a particular industry, relative to the overall population of LinkedIn members in the U.S. The demand side of the formula shows how desired select skills are within a particular industry, relative to its overall demand, as measured by U.S. members who received an InMail message from a recruiter within the past year.
To learn more about the Strayer@Work Skills Index and view the interactive findings by industry, visit www.skillsindex.com and follow the conversation on Twitter at @StrayerAtWork.
About Strayer University and Strayer@Work
Strayer University has been in operation since 1892, and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration, accounting, economics, information systems, information technology, human resource management, education, health services administration, public administration, management and criminal justice to working adult students. The University includes Strayer@Work, which serves corporate clients by delivering the next generation of performance improvement and workforce development. Strayer University also offers an executive MBA online through its Jack Welch Management Institute. For more information, visit www.strayer.edu or call 1-888-4-STRAYER (888-478-7293).
