Bridging the Skills Gap: How Talent Acquisition and L&D Must Work Hand in Hand

Dear EdTech Türkiye Community,

Let’s rewind just a few years. Back then, companies acted like talent magnets—candidates were plenty, and recruitment was swift. Fast forward to today, and the landscape is dramatically different. Organizations are expected to do more with less, while competing fiercely to find talent in critical areas like AI, automation, and data analytics.

This shift has forced us to rethink how we define and acquire talent. Today’s organizations are embracing a skills-first mindset—hiring not just for job titles but for the unique capabilities individuals bring. Whether it’s external hires or internal talent development, skills have become the currency of growth.

But adopting a skills-based approach isn’t just about mindset—it requires seamless collaboration between Talent Acquisition (TA) and Learning & Development (L&D). According to Randstad Enterprise, hiring for AI and automation skills is twice as complex as average roles, while data analytics talent is 2.3 times harder to find.

So, what if the talent you’re looking for is already in your organization—or has the potential to be developed internally? Without strong alignment between TA and L&D, these high-potential employees can remain invisible, and onboarding efforts may fall short of long-term capability development.

How Can Talent Acquisition and L&D Collaborate Effectively?

The answer lies in data-driven collaboration. Access to the right insights—about both the internal skill supply and the external market—enables both teams to make smarter decisions.

• Identifying In-Demand Skills

The rapid evolution of tech like AI is reshaping which skills matter most. With skills intelligence, organizations can forecast future needs, identify transferable skills, and develop strategies to either hire or upskill/reskill accordingly.

• Creating a Diverse Talent Pipeline

Many organizations now map skills or use skills ontologies to better understand their internal talent pool. This can help identify untapped potential, especially among underrepresented groups—such as women in AI. Empowering them through targeted development not only supports diversity, but also fills critical skill gaps.

• Understanding the Talent Market

Talent intelligence tools can reveal where the best candidates are, what they want, and what would attract them. When ideal candidates are scarce, TA can still make informed hires based on potential, while L&D creates learning pathways to fill the gaps.

Talent Intelligence = Smarter Decisions

Yes, it’s hard to find the right skills today. But organizations that align TA and L&D, guided by solid talent data, are far better positioned to attract, grow, and retain the people they need—both now and for the future.

Because in today’s competitive talent economy, working in silos is no longer an option. TA and L&D must move forward, side by side.

Interested in building a skills-first strategy for your organization? Our team is here to help.