One of the hottest topics of discussion for many years now and a topic which is increasingly seen as a week spot, or at least a challenge that needs to be overcome, has been the difference between the set of skills required for a specific position and the skills that persons applying for that particular position actually possess. There are several reasons why this topic is getting so pressing. Some of the examples that we could give at this moment is the fast and constant pace with which technology advances and, of course, the constant need of keeping the pace with such growing technology. Another reason would be the rate at which every day business activities take place and the urgent need of keeping positions filled in by competent employees at all times, as well as the constant evolution in almost all aspects of the business environment and the inability of institutions offering formal education of keeping track of all such changes taking place in the business world. There are, of course, many other reasons.

What we have mentioned previously is an actual issue faced by employers having difficulties finding candidates equipped with the requires skills and knowledge, but also by the candidates themselves, since very often, certain specific work skills can only be acquired through practical experiences, or in rare cases, when they have been lucky enough to go through a specialized training covering a particular area.

It often seems that from all those candidates applying for a specific position, those without any previous job experience and those who have graduated only recently are placed in the least favourable position. Although many faculties try to prepare their students for the future work positions they may have, there are simply certain aspects that they fail to cover. For example, architecture and design studies fail to include the latest software available in the area of design in their curriculum; or business administration studies sometimes fail to dedicate sufficient attention to the practical aspect of planning, making decisions or negotiating. And notably, these are precisely the skills that employers seek so they can be sure that their newly employed staff would be able to do the job properly as soon as possible.

Finally, the lack of strategies and programmes, which would help universities and other formal education institutions identify what is needed at the moment and what will be needed in the medium or long term, can certainly be seen as a global issue.

How to bridge the gap?

Bridging this gap requires companies to play a proactive role, focusing on potential candidates even before they apply for a job vacancy. Of course, it is also important that relevant institutions keep providing the necessary support. Without such an active approach, the candidates would be the only ones carrying the burden of bridging the skills gap. And what candidates themselves can do in such case is to try and acquire the required skills by means of internship in companies operating within the respective industry, working for NGOs, attending trainings and courses or dedicating their efforts to self-improvement by reading specialized literature, articles, studies etc.

This can certainly remedy the issue to some point, however, due to the lack of structured and organized approach to resolving the issue, unfortunately the gap remains, and so does this issue.

The role of companies

 Taking into consideration this issue, certain companies and organizations are starting to take a proactive role when it comes to bridging the skills gap and consequently, they organise tailored programmes, offer internship opportunities or specific courses open to potential candidates so they can get the opportunity to acquire the specific skills and knowledge required for certain positions.

Skills for Success

By taking on this challenge, Pivara Skopje, together with the Employment Services Agency of the Republic of Macedonia and Motiva, a business education company, have initiated the Skills for Success project, based on which we are trying to give our contribution to bridging the skills gap and help young people get the job they dream of, or even start their own business.

To make sure that our project was going to be a complete success, we decided to rely on a recipe that has proved to be working in the programme for the Training for Young Managers that we organize for 19 years in a row in the Pivara Skopje Educational Center, in close cooperation with Motiva. We have used the experience we have acquired throughout this training to create a programme that covers topics which are important to young people seeking job or dreaming to start their own business one day.

Therefore, we have decided to divide the programme into two sections or modules: the first module focuses more on individuals themselves (self-understanding, understanding their own values and development options, communication with others; CV writing skills etc.), while the second module is designed to help participants master some of the most frequently required soft skills on the labour market (setting goals, planning, project management, financial literacy, time management skills, negotiation etc).

The idea behind the Skills for Success training, which is completely free, is to help more than 5,000 participants to acquire the skills and the knowledge, but also the confidence, ideas and contacts, they may need to get to the final destination easily. We hope that we will succeed in our mission!