Top 3 Tips on How to Close Skills Gaps

Today we’re taking a closer look at skills gaps – a topic that continues to challenge organisations of all sizes.

If you’ve been keeping up with our other blogs, you’ll have seen that we’ve been advising businesses on how to make their mark in 2025 by adopting forward-thinking strategies to maximise sales, optimise digital performance, and remain compliant with evolving legislation.

But let’s take a step back for a moment. We’ve been assuming that you already have the necessary capabilities to carry out these initiatives – but what if you don’t?

Skills gaps are nothing new, but in today’s fast-moving world, they can resurface time and time again if not addressed correctly. Let’s be honet, technology doesn’t stand still. Each year, it seems like there’s a new AI tool, another alogorithm update, a fresh social platform, or a complete shift in how we do business. Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.

At Hopewiser, we understand the challenges businesses face in keeping pace with change – because we live and breathe them ourselves. But we also know how to overcome them. After all, we’ve been around for nearly four decades (and counting).

So, if you’re experiencing a skills gap in your business, it’s important to act fast. Without the right skills in place, it’s all too easy to fall behind – while your competitors surge ahead. Fortunately, we’re here to help with our guide to the top three ways to close skills gaps in 2025.

1. Hire Young Talent

You may remember our earlier advice on bringing in young professionals, and we stand by it in 2025 more than ever. With rapid advances in AI, data analytics, and digital marketing, many of today’s school leavers and graduates are entering the workforce equipped with in-demand skills that are crucial to modern business.

A 2025 report from TechNation revealed that over 60% of digital leaders believe that graduates today are better prepared for work than five years ago – thanks to improvements in education and closer collaboration between universities and industry.

At Hopewiser, we’ve always welcomed fresh talent. Back in 2018, we brought in graduates from a variety of disciplines, including sales, support, and development.

One of our early success stories was Ryan, who joined us on an industry placement while studying for his Master’s in Digital Marketing. That placement turned into much more and Ryan has since played a key role in our digital transformation.

Ryan joined us in May on what started as a six month industry placement to supplement his Master’s degree in digital marketing, read more about his success story in an interview with the University of Salford.

As the summer continued, the company also opened its doors to sales graduates Stephanie, Rachael, and Robbie, as well as trainee support analyst, Rodrigo, and trainee test analyst, Alex. Each of them have come from varying academic backgrounds, but they all share the same passion for working hard and achieving to the highest of their ability.

We’ve continued that tradition into 2025, bringing in young, ambitious team members who are excited to make a difference. Their energy, adaptability, and new perspectives have been invaluable and the results speak for themselves.

Not sure if hiring graduates is right for you? Try offering fixed-term placements or internships.

It’s a low-risk way to assess fit, while also giving young professionals the hands-on experience they need. Even if it doesn’t lead to a permanent hire, you’ll be helping build the workforce of tomorrow.

2. Invest in Staff Training

Hiring new talent is just one piece of the puzzle. The other is upskilling your existing team.

Technology – particularly AI, machine learning, automation, and cloud platforms – is evolving at lightning speed. If your team isn’t continually learning, they’re falling behind. Investing in training not only future-proofs your business, but also boosts employee morale and retention.

According to the Office for National Statistics, workplace training has seen a resurgence post-pandemic, with over 70% of UK employers investing more in digital skills training in 2024 than in previous years. And with the increasing availability of online courses, micro-credentials, and in-house programmes, there’s no excuse not to keep learning.

At Hopewiser, we believe in continuous improvement. Take our Office Manager, Gareth, for example. He attended a refresher course in Management Training at the Spectra Group in Altrincham. Gareth said:

“Having already trained in this subject area it was beneficial to receive a refresher course as it gave reassurance that I was fulfilling my job requirements to the best of my ability, and elaborated on my current knowledge. It was also helpful to hear of other people’s experiences, and we were able to take advice from one another to implement into our own job roles.”

Whether it’s management training, technical upskilling, or learning about the latest compliance frameworks – empowering your people is one of the best investments you can make.

3. Outsource Where Needed

Let’s face it, you can’t do everything in-house. Sometimes, the best way to bridge a skills gap is to outsource to the experts.

From Data Cleansing and cybersecurity to AI implementation and regulatory compliance, working with trusted partners allows you to fill critical gaps quickly without the overhead of hiring or retraining.

One common challenge we see today is around data governance. With the UK GDPR and other international data privacy laws becoming more complex, many businesses are still unsure whether their data practices are compliant and that’s a risky position to be in.

Research published in early 2025 shows that nearly 40% of UK businesses still aren’t fully confident in their data accuracy and compliance. That’s where outsourcing to a data expert can make all the difference.

At Hopewiser, we offer tailored Bureau Services that ensure your data is clean, accurate, and fully compliant without the need for internal technical expertise. We know that business data can decay by up to 37% per year, and consumer data by 13%. That’s a significant threat to operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and legal compliance.

So, ask yourself:

• Are your customer records up to date?
• Are you confident your data is compliant with current regulations?
• Are your internal systems supporting or hindering your business goals?

If you’re unsure, it might be time to outsource and let the experts take the strain while you focus on what you do best: growing your business.

Final Thoughts

We hope this guide has given you some fresh insights into tackling skills gaps in 2025. Whether you’re hiring new talent, upskilling your team, or outsourcing to trusted partners, the key is to stay proactive.

Don’t let a lack of skills hold your business back. Stay tuned to our blogs for more insights on thriving in todays fast-paced digital economy.