What do I learn when I study a Business course online
Most Australian students are aware that The Diploma of Business covers many topics including how to manage meetings, planning, developing a media plan and managing the conference and developing and implement an e-business strategy. One aspect that many don’t realize is covered in the Diploma of Business course –?click here to read more about this course?and the Certificate IV Business administration (learn more about the class here) course is how to identify skills caps when you are running a business.
Perhaps employees do not have the resources to meet standards (they might not have enough bricks to build a three meter wall), they might not be given enough time to meet standards, they might view standards as being unreasonable or unattainable, employees might not be given any motivation to meet standards (perhaps pay levels are not commensurate with performance expectations) or they might simply choose not to meet standards because they do not want to, they are lazy or they have a poor attitude towards their work. Once employers know why standards are not being met, they will know how to go about addressing performance gaps.
Identify skills gaps for business owners
Skills gaps, on the other hand, can occur as a result of poor induction programs that result in employees not being given the information needed to do their jobs. They can occur because employers are unable to find suitable applicants and recruit workers who do not have the skills or experience to meet the firm’s skill needs for the occupation or because the organization does not have enough employees with the required skills. They also often occur when an organization changes its activities or introduces new systems.
Skills gaps place a lot of pressure on those few employees who do have the experience and skills to do the job, as they are expected to pick up the slack. This leads to job dissatisfaction and stress, which ultimately leads these employees to seek employment elsewhere, thus worsening the organisation’s skills gap.
Skills gaps are becoming an increasingly serious problem across all industries and across the globe as a result of:
- Rapid changes in technology.
- The constant introduction of new industries and products.
- Extended periods of strong economic growth.
- Increasing use of casual and part-time employees.
- An ageing workforce and negative birth rate, leading to a diminishing pool of workers.
- An increasingly competitive job market.
- Low levels of unemployment.
- Job seekers lack of interest in particular industries.
- Changes in the number of people entering and completing training.
- Increasing interest in skilled workers from international organisations who can afford to pay workers more, resulting in skilled workers leaving the Australian job market.
Skills gaps are particularly being seen in education, construction, health and social care, sales staff (particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors) and communication industries.
As a result, skills development has become a priority for most organisations. Skills gaps can be addressed by developing and introducing training or learning and development programs. Human resources departments have an increasingly important role to play in developing and implementing learning and development programs to meet skills gaps.
Employers will need to ascertain the amount and types of training that will be needed to ensure that all employees have the right knowledge, skills and attitudes to perform the jobs they do and to meet organisational needs and objectives. Skills gaps can also be filled by employing additional staff with the skills required by the organisation.
There are a number of steps that should be observed when
carrying out a skills gap analysis:
Identify the organization’s needs and objectives.
Step 2
Identify the required competencies, skills and knowledge
needed to meet the organisation’s needs and objectives.
Step 3
Identify the standards to which competencies/ skills need to
be performed.
Step 4
Assess employees’ current skills, competencies and
levels of performance.
Step 5
Determine the skills/ performance gap (comparing information
from steps two and three to requirements identified in step one).
Step 6
Develop appropriate learning programs/ approaches to meeting
any identified gaps.
Performance appraisal documentation is the ideal basis for a
skills/ performance gap analysis, as they provide all the information
required by steps two, three and four.
Once a skills gap analysis has been carried out, organisations
can create a report that details the overall training needs for the
organisation, develop a budget for investment in learning and training
and prioritise the learning needs identified (some gaps in knowledge,
skills and attitudes will be more urgent than others). They can
develop learning and training plans to address gaps (these plans will
outline what needs to be learnt and the most appropriate methods for
delivering learning) and develop a workforce plan for the recruitment
of appropriately skilled staff.