Ultimately, this will lead to a more skilled and capable workforce that can drive your organisation toward success. 
Knowledge and skills gaps in your workforce can have a significant impact on your business, affecting productivity, quality of work, employee satisfaction, and more. To address skills and knowledge gaps effectively, you need to first be able to identify them.
Here are three essential ways to spot knowledge and skills gaps within your organisation:
Create a knowledge and skills baseline
Before diving into the search for knowledge and skills gaps, it’s crucial to establish a baseline of data. This baseline should encompass the current level of knowledge and skills among your employees. (To achieve this, consider utilising your learning platform, or if you don’t have one, consider investing in an LXP or LMS.) By assessing the existing skill levels and knowledge within your workforce, you can gain valuable insights into where gaps might exist.
Additionally, align these findings with your business goals and the specific requirements for each role in your organisation. This alignment will help you identify whether gaps need to be addressed to achieve your desired outcomes.
Employee turnover metrics matter
High employee turnover can be an indicator of underlying learning and development issues. When employees lack the skills or knowledge needed to perform their jobs effectively, frustration can set in, leading to a higher likelihood of employees leaving your organisation.
Many employees struggle to find the information they need to excel in their roles, indicating potential knowledge and skills gaps. Furthermore, when employees depart, they may take critical skills and knowledge with them, creating significant gaps that need to be filled.
To combat this, you should provide employees with programmes that support skill development and knowledge acquisition on an ongoing basis. By addressing these issues proactively, you can reduce turnover and mitigate against potential knowledge and skills gaps in the future.
Analyse the L&D data
Your organisation’s learning platform is a rich source of information regarding knowledge and skills gaps. (or at least it should be!)
Conduct a thorough audit of the content and skills data available.
Pay close attention to the areas where content is lacking or insufficient, as these gaps may indicate deficiencies among your workforce.
It’s essential to align the content on your platform with your business goals.
Ensure that the learning materials provided are directly relevant to your organisation’s objectives. For example, if you aim to enhance leadership development, make certain that your content aligns with this goal.
By continuously assessing and updating your learning materials, you can bridge knowledge and skills gaps more effectively, ensuring that your employees have access to the resources they need to succeed in their roles.
Conclusion
Identifying knowledge and skills gaps within your workforce is vital for maintaining productivity and achieving business objectives.
By establishing a baseline, examining employee turnover data, and analysing learning data, you can pinpoint these gaps and take proactive measures to address them.
Ultimately, this will lead to a more skilled and capable workforce that can drive your organisation toward success.
About the Author
Fred Thompson is CEO of thirst and is a seasoned learning and development expert with over two decades of experience helping businesses create engaging learning environments that foster employee growth and development.
Fred has spearheaded numerous initiatives that have empowered employees to learn and develop in the most intuitive way possible. His insights into the latest learning technologies and trends have been invaluable to countless organisations looking to turbocharge their learning cultures with game-changing learning platforms.
About thirst
thirst is more than a learning platform, we’re redefining how businesses upskill their people, ignite personal growth and accelerate learning culture.
thirst’s platform uses advanced AI and machine learning to create a personalised learning experience driven by skills and personal goals that will ramp up your upskilling and reskilling programmes and give you a competitive edge.