Future-Proofing Your Workforce: The Skills In Demand for 2025

Prepare Your Employees for Growth

Recently, LinkedIn published the results of their user survey on the list of the top 11 skills needed in 2024. [1] According to LinkedIn research, those skills are:

1. Adaptability
2. Communication
3. Customer service
4. Leadership
5. project management
6. Managers
7. Mathematics
8. Working together
9. Selling
10. Problem solving
11. Research

Although their research revealed that more than half of LinkedIn users have a job that will be enhanced or disrupted by AI in the future, the human factor is still important, again soft skills are more important than ever right now. Think about it—many of the skills on the list involve interpersonal communication.

Identifying Skill Gaps and Choosing the Right Learning Partner for Success

How do you decide which of these skills are most needed for your organization to succeed? While organizations may already look for employees who already have strong communication, adaptability, interpersonal, and leadership skills when hiring, developing those skills among employees may be a way to get a leg up on the competition.

Finding the greatest need is part of what a good learning services provider (LSP) can do for an organization. This is why working with the right LSP can be the key to developing a training program for progress and excellence.

A large LSP will be able to:

• Analyze the needs of the company and organizational teams
• Find gaps in soft skills based on current training and other factors
• Look carefully at all the pieces of the puzzle, including interviews with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and stakeholders.
• Consider any internal polling or research

For example, the American Organization of Nursing Leadership (AONL) sought to help experienced nurses meet the challenge of transitioning from a clinical to an administrative role. They worked with AllenComm to identify what skills were most needed to prepare these nurses to face this challenge head on. AllenComm interviewed SME nurses and other AONL stakeholders and revealed several needs, including that these nurses needed a flexible training program that built their confidence and awareness and gave them the support they needed to succeed. AllenComm also identified the appropriate objectives, structure, spaces, and necessary content for the program. They then plan and develop a program to meet those goals and needs.

Start Now to Succeed Tomorrow

The ever-changing business environment requires companies to be involved in developing employees who are ready to face challenges with the right skills. Learning leaders like you must look ahead and prepare for 2025 by creating a plan now to address critical skills development needs and make adjustments as things change or change. This early preparation helps organizations with their growth plans and will allow time to gain stakeholder buy-in.

Employees who are ready to respond to changes effectively and efficiently are wanted. That level of agility creates an interesting organization in the face of industry and economic changes. Organizations with agile training and development strategies thrive in unpredictable, fast-changing environments, according to ATD. [2] These organizations quickly adapt to technological advances, market shifts, and new business models. The organization is as fast as its employees, however. Employees with the brand of agility are resilient and able to take advantage of new opportunities. Take a moment to consider how you can support employees in developing the ability to drive the growth of your organization.

Preparing for Growth through Skill Development

Organizational growth requires strategic planning and forecasting skills that will drive success. It is more than just improving the skills of employees. By investing in groups of people with unique needs and goals, you can set your businesses up for growth in the coming year. This preparation can improve employee satisfaction and initiate new initiatives earlier in the year rather than playing catch-up later. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, nearly half of all workers will need to be rehired by 2025 to keep up with technological and business changes. [3] Putting the right skills training at the top of the list can create a stronger workforce that is prepared to contribute effectively to growth initiatives. This preparation includes technical skills and important soft skills such as communication, leadership, and problem solving, which are part of innovation and strong team dynamics.

Ensuring Stakeholder Buy-in for Effective Implementation

One of the key challenges in establishing a strong capacity building program is finding opportunities to get help from other departments and stakeholders. Stakeholders must understand that investing in training today will yield long-term benefits, such as increased productivity and employee retention. Research from Brandon Hall underscores the importance of aligning L&D initiatives with business goals to gain management support. Clear communication about the value of these programs, backed by data on their ROI, can help ensure that leads are there. Involving stakeholders early in the planning process, listening to their views, and showing how corporate training aligns with strategic goals can strengthen their commitment to the plan.

Determining the Right Skills for Future Success

Having a clear idea of ​​where to start in skill development/rebuilding teams will help you better focus on the key business skills your organization is looking for. Identifying the different types of skills employees need, anticipating future developments, and preparing for future changes are key steps to success. By partnering with an experienced learning consultant, organizations can gain strategic insights and adapt their training programs to meet future challenges, putting the organization on a strong footing for the coming year.

Skill development can generally fall into three categories:

• Professional development skills. These focus on the way a person wants to grow personally and choose.
• Job need or skills to fill the gap. This may include certificates, a degree component, or a promotion component.
• Goal-driven organizational skills. An example might be sales teams developing skills to become product experts and deliver better value in customer conversations.

Uncovering what skills are most needed for the organization to work on is where a good LSP comes in. They will be able to collect and analyze the relevant data to determine the right skills that will best move the organization forward. A skilled LSP can meet with leaders, business departments, and other stakeholders to uncover the skill needs critical to future success, whether soft or hard. They will then design a talent development plan to facilitate the integration of future initiatives, guide where to allocate training and development budgets, and address complex internal company challenges.

For example, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the leadership organization representing firefighters and emergency responders, needed a learning solution to train paid and volunteer firefighters and first responders with the skills needed to handle increased incidents and service call volume. to their communities, while maintaining high levels of service.

The IAFC partnered with AllenComm for skills training to equip fire department personnel with the skills needed to transition to joint teams when necessary, create a collaborative team culture to effectively work together to protect and operate, and develop interpersonal leadership skills to successfully conduct community outreach. AllenComm designed and built three learning solutions that are flexible and flexible enough to be customized so that students can choose to take only the courses they need.

Choosing Learning Solutions for Long-Term Success

Starting the new year off right means implementing skills training solutions that provide a solid foundation for learning and student experiences (LX) that match students’ needs. An experienced LSP can recommend the right combination of tools to achieve organizational goals, whether it involves content libraries, relationships with industry organizations, or a customized LX platform designed to engage and retain student interests.

The conclusion

L&D leaders must start now by evaluating current training programs and defining strategic goals for the coming year. This includes identifying existing capabilities within teams, identifying gaps that may impact future initiatives, and ensuring alignment with broader organizational goals. By addressing these areas, companies can prepare their employees for growth and improve their ability to deal with challenges and changes.

Partnering with a professional learning consultant or LSP can be useful for organizations that want to build or plan their skills development programs in the right way. A skilled partner can help analyze needs, design solutions, and develop training that meets business goals and supports unique employee growth journeys. Companies like AllenComm bring expertise to create customized eLearning solutions that close skills gaps and prepare teams for future demands. By focusing on strategic planning and engaging the right support, organizations can build a strong, skilled workforce ready to excel in 2025 and beyond.

References:

[1] The Most In-Demand Skills of 2024

[2] From Fragile to Agile: The Future of Learning and Development

[3] The Future of Jobs 2023 Report

Read more: