KC Tech Talent Working Sessions Surface Major Opportunities
Tech industry leaders, training partners and educators in Kansas City identified critical breakdowns in how talent flows from education and training programs to jobs and proposed bold solutions to fix them.
The bottom line:
There is a significant untapped opportunity to create a democratized, streamlined and successful way in which talent connects to jobs in our region.
Why it matters:
In the KC TechBridge talent survey, 85% of respondents say it's difficult or very difficult to find jobs despite the volume of job postings and depth of industry in the market.
The problems we uncovered:
Information chaos: Job postings are a mess. In KC's tech market, 16,995 job postings created 10,421 unique titles, meaning talent can’t clearly see what they’re a good fit for.
Artificial barriers: Many posted job requirements may actually be wishlist items, not considering easy training opportunities.
Broken handoffs: Educators and employers are trying to connect one-to-one, leaving many candidates and employers on their own.
What if we tried something different?
Working session participants proposed seven breakthrough solutions:
What if … we could standardize job titles and requirements across KC employers?
What if … there were "talent matchmakers” who knew both sides to bring pre-vetted candidates directly to employers?
What if … we had "dating app" style platforms for verified skills-based matching instead of resume screening?
What if …all the scattered asks for events like job fairs were consolidated into major KC-wide events?
What if … educators and hiring managers shadowed the roles before writing curriculum or job descriptions?
What if … degree requirements were replaced with skills assessments, portfolios, and micro-certifications?
What if … candidates had access to work-based learning projects that give employers direct access to emerging talent?
Next steps:
The highest-impact solutions focus on direct candidate connections and employer standardization efforts. Focus groups in September will dig into these potential solutions to refine where KC TechBridge can support our region’s tech talent ecosystem the most.
To learn more and get involved, contact us.
