How to Close the Global Skills Gap — Jake Schwartz, General Assembly

For many Americans, a central reason that the inequality gap may be getting worse can be summed up in one word: Jobs.

Job openings have been increasing. And yet as we all know – perhaps personally, perhaps from the news, and definitely from the most recent U.S. election –employment prospects for workers left behind by the current economic expansion seem increasingly dim.

Now, there are many causes for this trend, many of which come under fierce debate. One is the skills gap.

As LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner said recently: “Is there a skill gap, is there not a skill gap? I think when you think about it in the aggregate across the United States, you can debate it. But unquestionably, at the local level, there are skills gaps. There are cities that are hiring, they’re hiring quickly. They’ve got fast-growing industries and they don’t have the talent with the requisite skills to take on those roles.”

Jake Schwartz is trying to do something about it.

Jake is CEO of General Assembly, a pioneer in education and career transformation, specializing in today’s most in-demand skills. Specifically, General Assembly bridges the gap between job seekers and companies needing talent with relevant skills. In just about 6 years, they’ve opened 20 campuses on four continents, with more than 35,000 graduates.