The Big Question: Can U.S. Workers Close the Skills Gap?
A Q&A with General Assembly CEO Lisa Lewin on how the pandemic accelerated demand for digital skills — and what’s needed to give more Americans access to them.
Why can’t employers fill job openings?
Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
This is one of a series of interviews by Bloomberg Opinion columnists on how to solve the world’s most pressing policy challenges. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Romesh Ratnesar: For years, businesses, policymakers and educational providers have been focused on the skills gap — the idea that many American workers lack the skills necessary to compete for in-demand jobs. Part of the problem was the inability of workers to access training programs where they could acquire those skills. During the pandemic, however, something interesting happened: according to some surveys, close to 40% of workers took some kind of professional training course over the last year.
You’re the CEO of General Assembly (GA), one of the largest providers of short-term tech training courses — often known as “coding bootcamps.” Did you see growth in demand for your course offerings during the pandemic? Do you expect this surge to continue?