CareerBuilder’s recently released Global Skills Gap Study, indicates just how far-reaching the skills gap is – and just how important it is that companies work in collaboration with the government and educational system to decrease this gap.

Taking a proactive approach to the skills gap and talent shortage is a message CareerBuilder has been pushing since last year, with the launch of its Empowering Employment initiative. Empowering employment is a call upon organizations of every size and across all industries to take action and participate in a collective effort to prepare workers for the skills employers need most – both today and in the coming years.

Many companies have already answered this call. Take for example, the efforts of the following two companies, empowering employment through programs that focus on providing training and opportunities for the workforce of tomorrow:

Learning@Cisco: Empowering Employment Through Cisco Certifications

Learning@Cisco, an education services company, created its Cisco Certifications program to provide technological training and certification for networking professionals as a way to meet growing employer demands. Explains Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn, vice president and general manager of Learning@Cisco:

“Over the past five years, we set out to address talent gaps in networking professionals needed across the globe by harnessing our certifications and knowledge programs, and addressing new roles in technology. Our training and certifications programs provide the skills and expertise networking professionals need to meet the demand for networking talent.”

Get more details about Learning@Cisco’s program here:

Randstad: Empowering Employment By Inspiring Experts

Through its unique “Inspiring Experts” campaign, Randstad, a staffing services company, is working to create a library of website videos that feature both working professionals in these fields and students pursuing degrees. The videos are “filled with information about careers with stable futures in growing industries that will get young people excited about jobs in those fields,” as explained on the Randstad’s website.

The ultimate goal of the campaign is to build an awareness of the fields where skills are most in need, and encourage students to pursue degrees in those fields “in an interactive, engaging, and modern way” (i.e. video).

Learn more about Randstad’s effort here:

Is your organization making an effort to empower employment? Visit the Empowering Employment website to share your story.