Workshop to help fill skills gap - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (WXOW)-- The research group Manpower found in an annual survey many businesses are struggling to find employees with the needed skills, despite high unemployment.          

So the group led a workshop for employers to educate them on how to decode skills that are teachable and make the hiring process more efficient. At the teachable fit workshop, employers developed job descriptions and how to translate candidates skills into those needed for the position.

The leader of the workshop says part of the problem with the workforce is a lack of soft skills.

"According to our research, a lot of employers are telling us that people are coming into the work place without the soft skills, without the critical thinking, without the communication skills," said Melanie Cosgrove Holmes, the vice president of World Work Solutions. "So I think we need to work with our educational institutions to make sure that young people are being taught these soft skills."

Holmes says for those looking to enter the workforce, you don't always need a 4-year degree. She says a technical or associates degree can be just as valuable.