Overcoming the Cloud Skills Gap: Strategies for Upskilling Your Team

The world of cloud technology is rapidly evolving, continually bringing forth new and exciting opportunities for organizations to innovate, transform, and scale. However, alongside these opportunities, the IT industry faces a significant challenge: the cloud skills gap.

To bridge this gap, IT decision-makers must be agile, responsive, and proactive in addressing this hurdle. In this article, you’ll learn about the importance of tackling the cloud skills gap at your organization and what actionable steps you can implement today.

Understanding the Cloud Skills Gap

The cloud skills gap refers to the disparity between the high demand for cloud specialists and the supply of skilled professionals available in the job market. Data shows that 63% of senior executives rank talent shortages as a major concern in their organization. This gap is further exacerbated by the evolving nature of cloud technologies and the highly-specific skills required to navigate them, as over 90% of IT leaders plan to expand their software engineering and cloud environments.

However, instead of seeing the skills gap as an insurmountable obstacle, organizations must approach it as an opportunity for growth and innovation. A strategic investment in learning and development can bridge this gap and even drive your organization toward achieving its full digital potential.

The Importance of Continuous Learning in Cloud Technology

With constant and rapid innovation in cloud technology, continuous learning is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. Keeping your team updated with the latest developments is crucial to overcoming the skills gap and successfully leveraging cloud technology to its full potential. Surveys reveal that 61% of workers consider upskilling programs as "extremely" or "very" important when deciding whether to remain with their current employer.

A culture of continuous learning encourages curiosity, boosts employee morale, and keeps your organization at the forefront of technological advancements. According to a 2022 survey by IBM, 71% of respondents believe that organizational digital transformation is difficult without a multicloud strategy - and the foundation of implementing such a strategy is having a team with the necessary cloud skills.

Strategies for Upskilling Your Team

Regular Training and Development Programs

Regular training programs are a practical approach to upskilling your team. These programs can be tailored to your organization's specific cloud needs, equipping your team with the skills they need to succeed in their roles. To determine this, audit your workforce’s current skill level or areas of knowledge and offer training to fill any gaps! It's essential to ensure these programs are up-to-date, engaging, and relevant, as cloud technology training from just a few years ago may be obsolete by now.

Training solutions like Akkodis Academy are a great choice if you’re looking for a program that adapts to your organization’s specific needs. We offer boot camps, part-time courses, or full-time immersive courses to make sure your workforce has access to industry-leading upskilling opportunities.

Investing in Certification Courses

Investing in recognized certification courses can be extremely valuable in validating your team's skills and knowledge. With the demand for skills like cloud architecture, security, automation, DevOps engineering, and multi-cloud deployment, certification courses specializing in these areas can provide your team with an edge in the cloud technology landscape.

Promoting a Culture of Continuous Learning

A culture that values learning fosters an environment where employees feel motivated to continually improve their skills. Encouraging a growth mindset, offering resources for learning, and recognizing the efforts of your team are all elements of creating this culture. This is vital as your team's ability to adapt to changes directly impacts the success of your digital transformation initiatives.

Leveraging Online Resources

In today's digital age, learning has become more accessible than ever. Online courses and resources offer a wealth of information on a variety of topics. Encouraging your team to make use of these resources can be a cost-effective strategy to upskill your team in specific areas, including machine learning, blockchain, and DevOps engineering.

Cloud Talent Acquisition in Practice with Akkodis

An effective way to quickly address a skills gap is to partner with a digital talent solutions expert like Akkodis to source talented candidates. 

We recently helped a multinational financial technology company bridge a cloud skills gap at their organization. They had identified a need for candidates who could develop and implement cloud applications and who were well-versed in Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS. Despite knowing what the problem was, they were struggling to find candidates with a unique skillset combination of public cloud experience and DevOps engineering. 

Akkodis recruiters assumed responsibility for the client's hiring initiatives and swiftly embarked on identifying and recruiting highly qualified talent.  We leveraged AI-powered skills-testing and recruitment tools like Glider and Coder Pad to assess candidates, making sure they met the client’s specific needs. 

This client benefitted from a rapid fill rate of highly-skilled candidates that were immediately integrated into their cloud team. The recruitment campaign was completed within budget, and our associates remained on the client’s team for the duration of the project.   

The Bottom Line

In the face of challenges posed by the cloud skills gap, it is crucial to recognize that effective tools and strategies can be developed to conquer it. Continuous learning, regular training, certification courses, and online resources can help your team keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape of cloud technology. Embrace the journey of upskilling, and watch as your team - and organization - thrive in the world of cloud.

To learn more about how Akkodis can help your organization overcome a skills gap, contact us today!