Case Study & How-To: Facilitating Career Transitions & Reskilling in the Workforce
25 June 2024
In the face of skilled talent gaps, particularly in critical digital infrastructure roles, employers can benefit significantly from hiring and training candidates from adjacent industries. These candidates often possess transferable soft skills and mindsets that are highly valuable. This guide aims to provide context on how to do so and a successful case study within the real-world context.
Case Study: Digital Infrastructure Talent Acquisition
Background
Industry Focus:
Critical digital infrastructure, specifically data center technicians.
Challenge:
Intense competition for skilled talent in this field.
Strategy
Target Adjacent Industries:
Industries such as manufacturing, maritime, oil and gas, and telecom are identified as rich sources of potential talent.
Skills Focus:
Candidates from these industries often have backgrounds in mechanical/electrical/civil engineering, construction, and networking, making them suitable for a career pivot.
Survey Insights
Encouragement for Reskilling:
56% of respondents support reskilling workers from similar industries.
Recruitment Trends:
28% are actively recruiting from similar industries.
Primary Sources of Reskilled Workers:
- Employees returning from a period of absence – 38%
- Manufacturing sector – 36%
- Administrative/Business support roles – 35%
- Finance/Insurance sector – 25%
Implementation: Focusing on Transferable Skills
Key Areas for Reskilled Workers:
- IT Technician Roles – 39%
- Cloud Computing – 34%
- Data Analytics – 25%
Transferable Skills:
Soft Skills: Handling pressure, problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking.
Value: These skills are versatile and highly sought after across multiple industries.
How-To Guide for Employers
Step 1:
Identify Potential Talent Pools
Action: Look beyond the immediate industry to adjacent sectors where potential candidates may be seeking career changes.
Step 2:
Assess Transferable Skills
Action: Evaluate candidates based on their soft skills and other transferable competencies, rather than focusing solely on industry-specific skills.
Step 3:
Develop a Reskilling Strategy
Action: Create training programs tailored to bridge the gap between the candidate’s existing skills and the new role requirements.
Step 4:
Leverage Existing Experience
Action: Utilize the diverse experiences of reskilled employees to bring fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to the workplace.
Step 5:
Foster a Learning Culture
Action: Encourage continuous learning and development to ensure that employees can adapt to evolving job requirements.
Step 6:
Focus on Potential
Action: Prioritize candidates’ potential and willingness to learn over their current skill set.
By focusing on transferable skills and potential, employers can effectively address talent gaps in critical areas like digital infrastructure. This approach not only fills immediate needs but also contributes to a more dynamic, adaptable, and skilled workforce. Employers who embrace reskilling and cross-industry recruitment can turn the challenge of talent scarcity into an opportunity for growth and innovation.
A useful tool for employers, workers and job seekers is the Government of Canada’s Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS) at
Welcome to the Occupational and Skills Information System – Canada.ca (esdc.gc.ca)
OaSIS can provide meaningful information on occupations and associated competencies to a wide variety of Canadian users including youth, students, the unemployed, workers wanting to re-skill or up-skill, career and employment counsellors, employers, education and training providers, programs, and governments.
