i3 - January/February 2021 - 34

Policy

Jackie Black

P O L I CY U P DAT E

CTA's Apprenticeship Coalition has
helped launch new apprenticeships with
companies such as Bosch and Alarm.
com. Study results show tech employers
recognize the benefit of hiring from such
talent pools with 24% of respondents
saying they will hire more from train-tohire programs such as apprenticeships
and boot camps.

Future of Work - The Shift
to Skills Based Hiring

Closing the Skills Gap

According to Opportunity@Work, there
are 71 million workers who do not have
a college degree, but have been skilled
through alternative routes. As we
recover from the pandemic and consider
s we enter the new year, getting people back to work
the tens of millions left unemployed, it
and aligned with in-demand skills are essential
will be crucial for the tech industry to
continue to hire based
undertakings for our nation. Tech companies
on skills. The fur72% of
can lead the way by focusing on hiring practices to
meet the current demand for skilled workers to fill our respondents say loughed hotel front
desk worker has the
they will hire
nation's skills gap and opportunity gap as we recover.
customer service skills
employees who to be an IT support spemeet their skill
cialist. The unemployed
CTA's fourth annual Future of Work
More, a significant 72%
bar manager has the
Study surveyed tech industry leaders on
of respondents say they
requirements,
leadership skills to be a
current and future workforce issues.
will hire employees who
regardless of
Despite the workforce disruption from
meet their skill requireeducation level. project manager.
With high demand
the pandemic, survey results continue to ments, regardless of edufor these skills, and not
show that technology companies, both
cation level. Hiring for
enough workers to fill
large and small, need more employees
skills - and not just a
them, the skills gap is still here -
with technical skills. From data analytics degree - has proven success in training
despite the pandemic. But if industry
to software development and engineermodels such as apprenticeships.
leaders continue to hire from diverse
ing, 75% of respondents said it is diffiworkforce pipelines based on skills, not
cult to find candidates with the right
What Makes a Good
degrees, and provide the relevant trainskills and abilities today, and 80% said
Apprenticeship?
they will need more employees with
Apprenticeships are one of the most suc- ing opportunities, the industry can
technical skills in the future.
cessful types of work-based learning and access more talent and be at the forefront of solving our nation's skills and
With such a great demand to fill, tech
can help revitalize the U.S. workforce by
companies are rethinking education hir- providing access to training and employ- opportunity gap.
ing requirements. More than half of
ment opportunities for those without
respondents said the company they
advanced degrees through an " earn and
To learn more about future of work
work for has never had, or no longer has, learn " training approach. And apprentrends including apprenticeships, join
2021
a policy requiring a college degree.
ticeships in the tech sector are growing.
us at CES 2021.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

i3_0121_34_Policy_Update.indd 34

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i3 - January/February 2021

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