The Penn Foster Blog

As unemployment numbers continue to hover below 4% nationwide, many organizations with open positions have found it difficult to find skilled workers. As a result, many are turning to education in order to reduce the need to hire externally; employers are opting to train and upskill their workforce from within. While the return on investment for providing in-house skills training is more than worth the initial cost for most employers, generating demand and momentum for your workforce development program from the beginning is vital to long-term success.

The healthcare industry is growing thanks to the aging boomer population, new technologies, and the relative accessibility of care. The gap between open jobs in the industry and employees ready to fill those jobs is expected to grow over the next decade as well. To hire for middle skills roles during this healthcare boom, hospitals, pharmacies, and nursing care systems need to rethink their standards for candidates.

Businesses succeed or fail on the strength of their investments. Ideally, your investments don't just solve an immediate problem. The best ones have a positive and lasting effect on the success of your business. Out of all the investments you can make -  in technology, equipment, buildings, infrastructure - one of the most impactful is employee development. 

You know your employees need upskilling. With unemployment at a 50-year low, and a skills gap affecting almost every industry, finding qualified new employees is difficult. Optimizing your existing workforce is the most expeditious way to meet the demands of your business. 

As unemployment rates remain steady and the quickening pace of business drives resource needs sky-high, employers find themselves at a loss. Grappling with an inability to fill crucial roles within their organization, many employers turn to temporary staffing agencies to help them fill the gap, relying on companies like EmployBridge, one of the largest industrial staffing companies in the US, to place competent, workforce-ready candidates in their payroll. But how do staffing agencies ensure they have enough skilled temporary employees to meet the growing need?

Electric cars. Hybrid engines. On-board computers. Technology is changing the automotive repair industry. Your success as a repair shop depends on the quality of your mechanics. Are they keeping up with changing technology? Do your best mechanics stay with you, or move on to new opportunities in other shops? 

With the majority of the current United States labor market falling somewhere in the vast space between high school graduate and college graduate, those trained to fill roles in this education-gap are often labeled as "middle-skilled." Jobs either require a degree, or they don't and those who are stuck in the middle can find themselves locked out because of the all- or- nothing approach of many employers. 

It's a truth not yet universally acknowledged that skills are more important than degrees in today's economy. Proactive employers are reworking job postings and hiring processes to bring in applicants with the right aptitudes. They're also training workers to improve vital competencies. It's a step in the right direction. But are employers doing enough?

As a veterinary practice owner, manager, or executive, you want to provide the best care possible for your clients and patients. But you can't do it alone. Providing quality care in the modern veterinary health care market requires a whole team of qualified staff. The American Veterinary Medical Association has been promoting the concept of a veterinary health care team for years, and with good reason. 

When you think customer service, you might think about such industries as retail, hospitality, and restaurants. In these industries, training workers in customer service is essential. At the same time, almost every industry could benefit from workers who have customer service training.