Survey: Gap is growing in applied and hard technology skills

DOWNERS GROVE - Deficits in applied and hard technology skills among current employees and new applicants, and a general lack of preparedness for individuals entering the workforce, are key hurdles in filing the skills gap in the tech sector, according to a survey from The Career Advisory Board, established by DeVry University.

"The tech skills gap is a well-known issue among both educators and employers," said Alexandra Levit, chair of the Career Advisory Board. "However, in addition to the shortage of hard tech skills such as computer programming or web design, we discovered a growing concern among employers over the lack of applied tech skills."

Having applied tech skills refers to an individual's ability to use technology for the benefit of an organization, not necessarily the ability to deploy specific technologies themselves. Employers are seeking individuals with these abilities more and more, but not enough are graduating with the proper skill set.

Survey respondents consisted of 500 individuals from a number of leadership and hiring positions within organizations. Of the respondents, 71 percent agreed it is rare for an employee to possess all requirements outlined in a job description. Although gaps are present across varying skill areas, nearly 60 percent said it was common for job applicants to lack the technology skills important for success in their career, with half reporting a tech skills deficit in their current employee base.

When defining exactly what employers are looking for within the tech skill deficits, four in five agreed that for technology to be effective, it must integrate people, process, data and devices. Seventy-five percent agreed employees should understand how to use technology to inform and drive business decisions, while 84 percent claimed employees who know how to use the right tech tools in their fields are more effective.

"Educators serve a vital role in narrowing the technology skills gap in today's workforce," said Shantanu Bose, Ph.D., Career Advisory Board member and provost and vice president of Academic Excellence at DeVry University. "It is important for those in education to continuously work with employers to understand what their needs are and to ensure they can impact and inform our curriculum. Likewise, employers need to turn to educators to not only help with talent acquisition, but also talent development and skills gap training."

Along with partnerships between educators and employers, the Career Advisory Board also recommends the following strategies to bridge the applied and hard tech skills gaps: