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Cross-skilling creates an efficient, adaptable workforce
A new approach to workforce development can help to optimize government tech talent.
From data analysis to cybersecurity, today’s government missions aren’t just intertwined with technology — it’s become fundamental to mission execution and success. But the skills gap tech talent is still a thorn in the side of most government agencies.
“It’s not that agencies don’t want to hire — they recognize the tech talent gap. The issue is that the way the government hires and the way technology talent moves are out of sync,” says Tony Holmes, practice lead for public sector solutions architects at Pluralsight, a leading workforce development and online education company. This is compounded by budget constraints and labor force reorganizations.
Due to budgeting requirements, government organizations often face less competitive hiring salaries and long hiring timelines, if they're able to hire at all. Moreover, due to the culture of government work, organizations often post deeply specific job descriptions that end up limiting the talent search even further.
“Agencies tend to default to rigid, hyper-specialized job postings that read like a shopping list of every certification, tool and framework imaginable,” says Holmes, noting that the best technologists are actually often generalists who can adapt, problem-solve and learn fast. “The hiring process is designed to filter people out instead of bringing in those who could grow into the role.” This approach also limits how agencies can develop the talent they already have.
“Unless agencies rethink how they identify, attract, and develop talent, and with the current pace of change brought by the new administration, these issues aren’t likely to go away anytime soon,” says Holmes.
The answer, according to Holmes, is to think beyond hiring as the only solution for getting the tech talent agencies need and instead embrace cross-skilling, in which an organization works with an employee to strategically expand their capability to operate beyond their core skill domain in a way that makes them more adaptable, effective, and ultimately more valuable to the organization.
Building resilient, cross-skilled teams
Cross-skilling offers a new way of thinking about talent development that’s more attuned to today’s mission needs. While in the past, team members might each be an expert in a separate discipline, tool or technology, today’s technologies all intertwine, requiring a person to understand the ways these technologies interconnect to employ and adapt each one effectively.
“Cross-skilling is about adding breadth or taking what you already know and layering on adjacent, complementary skills that make you more effective in a changing environment,” says Holmes.
Cross-skilling differs from reskilling, which is about transitioning someone to a new role, and upskilling, which is about going deeper into a person’s existing expertise. It’s also not about forcing all employees to become generalists, but instead about playing to natural strengths while breaking down rigid role definitions that slow down problem-solving.
“A cross-skilled specialist can go deep when needed, but they also have the abstract awareness to work across disciplines,” says Holmes. “A cross-skilled cybersecurity professional doesn’t only focus on vulnerabilities, they know how software engineers think, so they can anticipate how security issues arise in development. A cross-skilled AI engineer doesn’t just build models, they also understand the operational impact of AI in cloud environments, security, or user experience.
Cross-skilling comes with a plethora of benefits, allowing teams to avoid the bottlenecks that can come with highly specialized work in complex government environments and instead move and adapt more quickly to changing mission needs.
“When teams are cross-skilled, they can move faster, collaborate more effectively, and solve problems with fewer handoffs,” says Holmes. For example, a cloud engineer who understands cybersecurity can bake security in from day one instead of relying on separate teams to fix issues later. Similarly, a software developer with AI fluency can spot opportunities to automate workflows before an AI specialist is ever pulled in.
“Instead of waiting for someone else to handle it, teams own more of the problem-solving process themselves,” Holmes says.
Further, when a team comprises individuals with crossover capabilities, the team becomes more resilient. A sudden departure, for example, doesn’t leave a skill gap that may take weeks or months to fill. Cross-skilling can even help to prevent that turnover in the first place.
“Most techies don’t just want to do the same tasks forever, they want to grow, explore, and expand their impact. When leaders create an environment where learning across disciplines is encouraged and permitted, agencies create a pipeline of versatile technologists who can handle whatever comes their way next,” says Holmes.
The Pluralsight difference
So, how can government agencies begin to incorporate cross-skilling? It’s all about making learning accessible, visible, and directly tied to career growth. That starts with ensuring that teams have access to a deep, diverse library of knowledge, and offering them the tools they need to access and incorporate that new information in a digestible way.
To do this, agencies should first look to ensure employees feel that learning can fit into their current work days, not take up extra hours.
“If agencies expect employees to upskill in their spare time, it’s not going to happen,” says Holmes. Instead, agencies should offer micro-learning and flexible on-demand trainings that allow employees to build skills in short, targeted lessons that fit into the natural flow of work, whether it’s a quick 5-minute lesson between meetings or a hands-on lab or sandbox that lets them apply what they’re learning immediately.
Moreover, since it’s easier to stay motivated and engaged when a person can see their growth over time, it’s important to give employees a clear view of their progress.
“When teams and leaders can access meaningful analytics and statistics about progress, agencies can track real skill development, not just whether someone watched a training video, but whether they’ve actually built proficiency in a key area,” says Holmes. “When employees can measure their own progress, they stay motivated. When leaders can see where their teams are developing, they can align learning with workforce planning.”
Last, it’s important to remove barriers to internal mobility so employees feel that their additional skills can help them grow in their roles and careers.
“One of the biggest reasons employees become disengaged or leave is because they feel stuck in their role. We should be actively publishing roles internally and creating opportunities for them to apply their new knowledge, whether through internal ‘temporary attachments’, shadowing opportunities, or more formal pathways,” says Holmes, noting that analytical insights are crucial here, offering real data on who is developing what skills and allowing agencies to match skills and talent to opportunities, rather than always looking to hire from outside.
Pluralsight’s skills intelligence platform works hand-in-hand with agencies to measure, develop, and retain talent aligned with their biggest priorities. It provides real-time data on where existing teams stand and clear visibility into strengths and skills gaps. This enables leaders to make informed decisions about upskilling, cross-skilling, and workforce planning, all of which can help government organizations close skills gaps, build adaptable teams, and future-proof their workforce.
“Traditional training often fails because it’s too generic, too time-consuming, or disconnected from real work,” says Holmes. “Pluralsight’s on-demand courses, hands-on labs, and generative AI sandboxes give agency teams the ability to learn as they work, so upskilling or cross-skilling isn’t a separate task because it’s built into the job.”
Learn more about how Pluralsight can help your government organization build a more resilient workforce through cross-skilling.
This content was made possible by our sponsor Pluralsight; it was not written by nor does it necessarily reflect the views of GovExec's editorial staff.
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