Start With What the Business Needs
A skills gap is most meaningful when it is measured against what the organisation intends to achieve. Upcoming goals, such as a new service, a new system or a new market, can indicate which skills the team may need. Instead of asking “Which courses are available?”, consider asking “What will our teams need to do differently over the next year?”
Gather Input from Multiple Sources
No single source tells the full story, so a few perspectives can be combined:
- Performance reviews and manager observations can show where individuals or teams may need support.
- Short conversations or surveys with employees may reveal gaps that managers have not yet noticed.
- Recurring errors, delays or customer feedback can point to skills that may need attention.
Check for Other Causes
Performance concerns can have several causes, including unclear processes, limited tools or heavy workloads. Instead of assuming an employee needs a course, consider first checking whether the role expectations and the tools provided are clear. This can prevent training from being applied to a problem it was never going to solve.
Decide What to Fix First
It is rarely practical to address every gap at once. Gaps that affect the organisation’s main priorities, and those that appear across several team members, may be the best place to begin. Some can be addressed through on-the-job learning, while others may call for a formal course.
Turn What You Find Into a Plan
A simple record can help: the skill, who needs it, why it matters and how progress will be measured. Once the gaps are clear, our guide on using SkillsFuture to close skills gaps covers ways to approach the training itself.
Keep Checking as the Business Grows
Skills needs can change as a business grows, so the assessment may be worth revisiting from time to time. A useful question to consider is: which skills will your team need in twelve months, and how confident are you that they are already in place?