"Yes, I am very familiar with conducting skills gap analyses and have been for many years in my time in the manufacturing industry. Keeping a consistent pulse on the skills of the workforce is vital. When I complete skills gap analyses for manufacturing roles like machinists, welders, and assemblers, I take a three-step approach. In the first step, I work with leaders to define the key skills and abilities necessary for a specific job. Then, I work to identify the current skill set of the employees within that job and do so through review of previous performance appraisals, interviewing managers, and talking with front-line employees. Last, I analyze where the gaps are and then create a training program to help fill the gap in knowledge or skills. Recently, a skills gap analysis found that a large number of our welders were lacking the skills to work within our online inventory management system. After some basic skills testing, I created online training for staff that helped them develop their knowledge and skills in this area. This simple yet effective training boosted production due to less time spent in working through the online system in between tasks."