International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that by 2026, 90% of organizations will face skills gaps, costing more than $5.5 trillion worldwide in delayed product releases, reduced customer satisfaction, and lost revenue. Recent Skillsoft research also shows that one in five decision makers directly attributes skills gaps to an inability to effectively assess their workforce's skills. Skillsoft's ISBs test learners' ability to take skills from theory to application via hands-on assessments in virtual environments. This interactive approach not only accelerates subject mastery, but also enables organizations to better assess how in-house skills align with business needs to optimize talent management strategies.

The first set of ISBs spans crucial technology subjects in artificial intelligence and machine learning, programming, and data science, with future expansions planned around leadership, business, and risk management. Key features include

• interactive virtual environments that enable learners to apply skills in simulated practice scenarios - such as writing and executing code - that mirror real-world projects
• outcome-oriented assessments that emphasize broader learning results to ensure learners grasp core concepts and understand how skills are utilized in their roles
• personalized results and feedback with proficiency scores and AI-generated content recommendations based on a learner's assessment performance for guided upskilling
• dashboards that provide a comprehensive view of an organization's skills, helping leaders identify areas of strength or needed improvement and track skill growth

"Interactive Skill Benchmarks are a pivotal moment in skill evaluation and development. Our approach enables learners to not just demonstrate their ability to recall learning, but apply it to solve real business problems," said Debasis Dutta, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Solutions, Skillsoft. "With ISBs, organizations and learners gain a firmer understanding of where they currently are in their skilling journey, where they need to go, and what training is needed to get there."

Gina Smith, Ph.D., Research Director, IDC's IT Skills for Digital Business Practice, added, "Amid widening IT skills shortages, Skillsoft helps enterprise learners gain literacy around generative AI and other important emerging technologies. It has never been more difficult to get the right people with the right skills into the right roles. Skillsoft's learning solutions and interactive benchmarking can help learners master the skills they need to get their teams and organizations to the next level."

ISBs demonstrate Skillsoft's continued commitment to meeting modern learning demands through AI-powered, interactive skilling experiences. In addition to ISBs and Skillsoft CAISY™, the company recently launched AI Skills Accelerators. Blending hands-on prompt engineering labs, secure GPT-4 sandboxes, video-based courses, AI-powered and human coaching, and instructor-led events, AI Skills Accelerators enable learners, leaders, and technologists to acquire AI-related skills for tasks such as SEO optimization, large language model (LLM) prompting, and product use case development.