Skills Development Is Becoming More Dynamic, Complex, but also Essential, The Josh Bersin Company Finds

• The "Skills-based Organization" idea has evolved into a series of dynamic, pragmatic skills tools and programs essential to business success
• New Josh Bersin Company research finds top organizations build capabilities by leveraging internal and external education in a dynamic skills ecosystem
• The most effective skills strategies are laser focused on talent gaps, business priorities, and transformation agendas

OAKLAND, Calif., March 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Josh Bersin Company, the world's most trusted HR advisory firm, today publishes a practical guide for CHRO and L&D leaders on the future of skills development—a dynamic, multi-faceted "learning ecosystem" that seamlessly integrates all development strategies and skills training programs into a unified framework.

The advisory group emphasizes that businesses across industries must adapt skilling strategies to address both immediate and future talent challenges. The research, Dynamic Skilling: Anticipating and Mitigating Current and Future Skills Gaps, carried out in collaboration with Guild, the leading talent development company, highlights the need for a comprehensive learning ecosystem to support workforce-wide development.

Organizations must provide diverse learning opportunities for all employees, including executives and leaders. Since some skills don't align to the learning objectives of traditional, structured programs, companies should incorporate microlearning, online courses, peer collaboration, knowledge management, talent marketplaces, educational programs, career pathways, and capability academies to enable large-scale re- and up-skilling in a rapidly evolving world.

The report shows that a new approach is needed, where organizations subscribe to and support educational programs that effectively reskill and upskill frontline workers and professionals for future-proof careers while addressing known skills gaps. Recent research reveals that only 7% of companies are ready to anticipate these changing market dynamics and to reprioritize resources where they are needed most. These organizations outperform their peers–exceeding financial targets, driving faster innovation, and achieving higher productivity levels.

The research, which features case studies from San Francisco-based solar and energy services company Sunrun and Colorado-based nonprofit healthcare provider UCHealth, highlights real-world examples of dynamic skilling adoption. Both organizations took holistic approaches to workforce development, demonstrating the evolution toward more adaptive and comprehensive skilling strategies.

As highlighted in the report, Sunrun addressed skill visibility, electrician shortages, and leadership needs post-merger with a fully funded upskilling program through Guild offering career-aligned programs. This reduced turnover of hourly employees by 70%, boosted internal mobility (2.4x more job changes), and lowered operational costs.

Guild partner UCHealth offers 250 programs, from high school completion to full degrees, enrolling nearly 1,000 employees in months to close skill gaps and strengthen its leadership in healthcare and communities.

The Josh Bersin Company urges organizations to build on these foundations by investing in frontline skills, leadership, AI, and technical certifications, while also dedicating resources to analyze employee skills, job tasks, and market skills to identify current capabilities and better predict future workforce needs.

PNC is an example of how investments in talent development and workforce planning can help businesses ensure education and training programs address skills gaps and better align with career pathways within the organization.

Other companies like Tesla demonstrate how strategic educational investments close skills gaps, enhance workforce capabilities, and prepare employees for future industry demands.

Companies aiming to address skills challenges should, therefore:

• Regularly review and prioritize skill needs in alignment with business goals. The fast-changing nature of work demands continuous reassessment to stay competitive in today's global market.
• Invest strategically in developing high-impact skills. Direct funding toward areas with the greatest business value to align employee growth with organizational priorities and measurable business outcomes.
• Measure the effectiveness of skill-building efforts and refine strategies as needed. A skills-based approach focused on solving key business challenges drives the highest returns.
• Integrate multiple skilling approaches. Different workforce segments require tailored skilling solutions—lay the groundwork now to create and sustain an agile learning culture, while fostering continuous innovation and resilience.

Bijal Shah, CEO of Guild, says:

"Guild is proud to partner with innovative leaders like Sunrun and UCHealth, who are proving that investing in employee learning isn't just the right thing to do—it makes businesses stronger.

"Yet, most companies are unprepared for the future. Only 23% feel ready to adapt and stay competitive. The ones that invest in their people don't just fill skills gaps—they unlock potential and build resilient teams that can thrive."

Kathi Enderes, global industry analyst and SVP Research at The Josh Bersin Company, says:

"To ensure all employees, including managers and leaders, develop critical skills, organizations must adopt a modular, multi-faceted approach that moves beyond traditional skills gap analysis and one-size-fits-all solutions.

"Achieving this requires integrating diverse learning programs beyond third-party education. The analysis emphasizes that a flexible, tailored approach is now essential for workforce development.

"Skills needs are changing faster than ever, so organizations must continuously assess what skills they have and need. Equally important, HR and business must drive this together, as HR alone may not always know what's required."

Josh Bersin, global industry analyst and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company, says:

"Skills development is now a pragmatic, multi-faceted strategy in companies. This report showcases a series of real-world examples of how companies employ diverse strategies, including partnerships with educational institutions, to meet their highly-fluid skills requirements.

"As change accelerates with AI, you need to skill people in a dynamic, continuous way. That may involve internal training, external programs, job assignments, or coaching. Organizations must be equipped to leverage all these methods—and more—to keep pace."

The report is available to Josh Bersin Company corporate members and Galileo^™ users, the AI-powered expert assistant for AI. For more information, email [email protected].

About Guild
Guild is transforming how employers build talent to drive business innovation and growth. Guild Talent Advantage^™ offers a range of transformative education and skilling experiences, supported by actionable talent insights for employers and personalized coaching for employees. Guild partners with employers including Walmart, Chipotle, Discover, Hilton, Target, and healthcare systems like UCHealth to unlock human potential and fuel organizational growth. It does this through broad access learning to attract, retain, and nurture a diverse workforce; targeted, skill-specific programs to close acute skills gaps; and cohorted, tailored learning to train employees in their company context. Guild ensures learning investments translate to sustainable talent pipelines that propel businesses forward. For more information, visit https://www.guild.com.

About The Josh Bersin Company
The most trusted human capital advisors in the world. More than a million HR and business leaders rely on us to help them overcome their greatest people challenges.

Thanks to our understanding of workplace issues, informed by the largest, and most up-to-date data sets on workers and employees, we give leaders the confidence to make decisions in line with the latest thinking and evidence about work and the workplace. We're great listeners, too. There's no one like us, who understands this area so comprehensively and without bias.

Our offerings include the industry's leading AI-powered HR expert assistant, Galileo^™, fueled by 25 years of in-depth Josh Bersin Company research, case studies, benchmarks, and market information.

We help CHROs and CEOs be better at delivering their business goals. We do that by helping you to manage people better. We are enablers at our core. We provide strategic advice and counsel supported by in-depth research, thought leadership, and unrivaled professional development, community and networking opportunities.

We empower our clients to run their businesses better. And we empower the market by identifying results-driven practices that make work better for every person on the planet.

For more information, visit www.joshbersin.com.

SOURCE The Josh Bersin Company