Skillsoft unveils Interactive Skill Benchmarks to address global skills shortage

Skillsoft has introduced Interactive Skill Benchmarks (ISBs), a new feature within its Skill Benchmarks suite designed to evaluate workforce skills through dynamic, hands-on assessments. 

According to IDC, 90% of organisations are predicted to face critical skills shortages by 2026, potentially resulting in over $5.5 trillion in global economic losses due to delays in product development and reduced customer satisfaction.

ISBs are structured to enable organisations to better understand and align their in-house skills with their strategic business goals, enhancing talent management capabilities.

 The feature is initially available for critical technology areas, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, programming, and data science, with plans to expand into leadership, business, and risk management.

The core of the ISBs includes interactive virtual environments where learners perform tasks such as coding, and mimicking real work projects. This interactive setup is designed to test the application of skills in a controlled, simulated environment. The assessments are outcome-oriented, aiming to ensure that learners not only grasp the concepts but can also apply them in their respective job roles.

Skillsoft provides personalised results and feedback, offering proficiency scores and content recommendations tailored to each learner’s performance. Dashboards give a comprehensive view of an organisation's skills landscape, helping leaders identify areas for improvement and track skill development over time.

Speaking exclusively to ETIH, Debasis Dutta, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Solutions at Skillsoft, commented: 

“Skills shortages are impacting nearly every organisation and learner. Making real progress in closing these gaps requires the ability to assess the current skills of a workforce and determine where the greatest proficiency deficits exist. Only then can you execute a targeted, highly-effective upskilling programme.”

Gina Smith, PhD, Research Director at IDC’s IT Skills for Digital Business Practice, also remarked on the challenges of skill shortages: 

"Skillsoft’s learning solutions and interactive benchmarking can help learners master the skills they need to get their teams and organisations to the next level.”

The development is part of a larger effort that includes recent launches at Skillsoft such as AI Skills Accelerators, which combine various learning formats to help professionals develop relevant skills.