Workforce gaming apps company skillsgapp appoints John Zwolinski as Chief Experience Officer


Soft skills and middle-skills gaming app company skillsgapp has hired John Zwolinski as its Chief Experience Officer. The new position is responsible for the development and performance of skillsgapp’s internal teams, sponsorship sales and partnership platform, and game deployment and player engagement programs. Zwolinski comes to skillsgapp from the global niche housing company Valeo Groupe, where he first served as Vice President of Culture, Brand and Experience, then Senior Vice President of Brand & Experience. Valeo Groupe has developed student housing communities in the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal, while focusing on senior housing communities in the US.

During his stint at Valeo Group the company attracted more than $700 million in investments in Europe and the US and in 2020 it was listed number 378 on the Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list. Internally, Zwolinski focused on building a culture and growing teams, setting up a development program for employees to encourage their physical, financial, emotional, professional, and personal health, and sculpting the company’s core values, cultural norms, and frameworks and systems as a part of Valeo’s brand as a “wellbeing company.” Read More.

New Ways to Skill

The pre-pandemic rules of work and school have given way to not only a more digital world, but also new opportunities. As such, education’s structure isn’t as rigid as it used to be. Schools have been forced to implement creative ways to not only bring education to students, but also bring them together safely, all without cannibalizing required curriculum.

Why shouldn’t manufacturers do the same?

New Opportunities

COVID-19 presents manufacturers the opportunity to bring their training to Gen Z, rather than Gen Z bringing themselves to manufacturers. 

Education and training structures are not likely to go back to what they once were. That’s why manufacturers will need to carve out new opportunities to engage in not only this next generation of workforce, but in content that resonates with them. After all, Gen Z is adapting to learning in their new, digital environment. Manufacturers simply need to catch up.

Take Felling Trailers in Minnesota as an example. Bonnie Radjenovich, a member of their operations team says, “We’re advertising like crazy on Facebook and Instagram, and we just can’t get enough candidates in the door.” This was a step in the right direction. But here’s the rub, it isn’t enough anymore for companies to simply advertise to Gen Z on social platforms where they don’t necessarily live.

Skilling Gen Z

One new way to skill is by bringing training to Gen Z on their mobile devices through creative gamification that interests and excites them, and on platforms that engage  them.

Executive Director of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore, offers an important insight. She says, “If this time of COVID has taught us anything it’s that you need to adapt to the world as it is around you and the world is changing and so you have to change with it.”

By catering to Gen Z’s current style of learning, manufacturers have the opportunity to create future talent pipelines they didn’t previously have access to. On the flip side, students who previously didn’t have access to in-person training can now get a jumpstart on a career path through training within gamified apps. This symbiotic relationship could especially thrive in America’s rural areas, where access has historically been challenging.

Manufacturers Must Seize the Opportunity

The Pew Research Center indicates that “95% of 13- to 17-year-olds have access to a smartphone.” Not only is there a widespread network already in place to reach Gen Z, but their usage of smartphones is only likely to increase due to the switch to online learning. This opens the door for us to bring more meaningful play to users and according to appannie.com, “Spend on mobile games across all app stores projected to top $100 billion in 2020.” Reaching Gen Z at an early age and training them where they live will lay the groundwork for a reliable workforce now, and down the road.

The opportunity has never been more ripe for manufacturers to adapt to a new way of building future talent pipelines. Or more fun.

Good News Regarding Tomorrow’s Talent for Advanced Manufacturing. Rural is Ready.

Manufacturers from all over the world have discovered the benefits of setting up shop in rural America. The affordable cost of land, friendlier tax climates and a lower cost of living for their employees sit high in its appeal. Another box economic development agencies check off when recruiting big companies is the high potential for a solid talent pipeline for years to come. Non-metropolitan America offers robust, multi-generational communities that are ripe for fulfilling complex workforce needs today. And with 10,000 Baby Boomers reaching retirement age every day over the next several years, Gen Z has become the white cape in securing manufacturing’s future.

The trick is in reaching them. Some middle-and high schools have started to incorporate these career pathways into their post-secondary narrative, but not necessarily their curriculum. This next generation needs to know that “working in a factory” is no longer a Laverne and Shirley sit-com their parents and teachers used to watch. These skills require training, and they’re skills you get paid very well for. According to a 2018 Salary Survey report from IndustryWeek, “the average salary for a manufacturing manager in 2018 was $118,500.” But stigmas take time to reverse, and curriculum takes taxpayers’ money and bureaucratic consensus to impact. 

So how do both advanced manufacturers and state economic development agencies win in their bid to a talent pipeline that’s perpetually pumping?

By pressing play.

An App Can Zap the Skills Gap.

COVID-19 has brought our world to its knees, paralyzing entire countries. It’s also brought the U.S. a multi-state commitment to expanding broadband reach in order to serve our rural and under resourced communities. Virtual learning was not a viable proposition for hundreds of thousands just months ago. Recently in California, home of Silicon Valley, two young girls were pictured sitting in a Taco Bell parking lot because they needed WiFi to do their schoolwork. Other states are still catching up, but here lies the opportunity. According to the Pew Research Center, “95% of 13- to 17-year-olds have access to a smartphone.”     

So the immediate workforce “workaround” lies in building talent pipelines by meeting kids directly where they live, on their phones. By developing mobile skills training apps and digital programs where Gen Z can engage with industry in ways that are not only relevant to them, but fun, reversing that “Plan B” career mindset will not only begin to materialize, but banks of hours toward soft- and middle-skills development within a future, qualified workforce will accrue, year over year.

It’s Game Time.

It’s time to think outside the box if we’re going to close the skills gap in America. Training our next workforce generation through mobile gamification at an early age will not only secure a leadership position on the world stage of manufacturing for decades to come, but will also provide meaningful careers and opportunities for communities that are underserved. Matt Dunne, Founder and Executive Director of the Center On Rural Innovation says, “Even in these difficult times, rural America has some exciting opportunities to build economies of the future.”

We couldn’t agree more. 

Stu News Laguna: Laguna’s Cynthia Jenkins launches skillsgapp, a company to bridge the divide in workforce skills education

Could mobile gaming hold an answer to the dearth of the U.S.’s middle-skilled workforce? Cynthia Jenkins of South Laguna thinks it does, and her new enterprise, skillsgapp, holds enormous potential to open up career opportunities for youth not on the four-year college degree track but who’ll need more than a high school diploma to earn a decent wage as they make their way. Read More.

Manufacturing Day: The Day That Keeps on Giving

On Oct. 2, 2020 manufacturers around the country will open their doors so Gen Z can open their eyes to skills-based career paths. It’s not just a day of open dialogue, but also a day of opportunity. According to Creators Wanted, “MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.”

Everybody Wins

Companies benefit from Manufacturing Day because they get to showcase who they are and what they can offer the next workforce generation. This is key in eradicating the “dirty hands stigma”, which conjures up images of what manufacturing used to look like, preventing many Gen Zers from pursuing high-paying and plentiful middle-skills jobs. So Manufacturing Day serves as a compelling, ‘see-say’ platform that companies can leverage to attract Gen Z via their modernized operations.

The win for Gen Z lies in their exposure to the plethora of opportunities created by the skills gap. According to Deloitte, “It’s estimated that by 2025, 3.4 million manufacturing jobs will be needed, but 2 million of these jobs will go unfilled due to the talent shortage.” This means that Gen Z can get a jumpstart in making connections with employers in order to find inroads to successful careers. And by finding out which skills manufacturers are looking for, they can make strategic choices about which path they can take early on in their education.

Manufacturing Day During COVID-19 and Last-minute Tips For An Even Bigger Win. 

The coronavirus has changed the way that most industries, businesses and people operate. This year Manufacturing Day is different than in years past because it’s mostly gone virtual. But companies have already adapted in ways that allow Gen Z to easily participate in ways they are familiar with, and can access with ease. According to SNHU, “Generation Z employees are true digital natives in the sense that they’ve grown up with smartphones and other digital devices at their fingertips.”

Here are three last-minute tips that companies can use for a big win on manufacturing day. 

1. Companies must use visual content because it enables Gen Z to learn about them. Gen Zers are proactive learners who have grown up frequently using visual media like YouTube and Instagram. According to SNHU, “A recent Harris Poll found 60% of people between the ages of 14 and 23 look to YouTube when they want to gather information, and nearly the same percentage said the video-sharing platform contributed to their education.”

2. Companies should make their virtual or in-person experiences social for Gen Z. Gen Z has grown up with the ability to create online communities and collaborate with each other through those communities. It isn’t enough anymore for companies to simply post videos on manufacturing day, they must interact with Gen Z.

3. Use augmented reality and other mobile experiences. Gen Z is a mobile generation and they are accustomed to doing almost everything on their phones at any time of day. This means companies must meet Gen Z where they are on manufacturing day in order to reach them. 

Some companies already understand Gen Z well and have designed their experiences on Manufacturing Day to cater to their learning preferences. Allegion and Boeing are two great examples.

According to NAM, “Allegion will feature a full virtual experience planned through Microsoft Teams. It will provide a mixture of live and pre-recorded content, and will localize every event to ensure it’s most relevant to local students, said Allegion Reputation Management Leader Whitney Moorman.”

NAM also notes, “Boeing collaborated with external partners like high schools, colleges and community organizations to create an effective virtual program, said Boeing Senior Workforce Specialist Justin McCaffree. Its event will include videos of employees explaining their jobs and performing specific tasks, virtual tours of the company’s facilities, and videos from manufacturing interns and students. It will also offer students the opportunity to do virtual informational interviews with Boeing employees.

Why Not Make Every Day Manufacturing Day?

Based on the growing skills gap, combined with the increase in virtual access, everyday should be — and could be — Manufacturing Day in order to help companies fuel their talent pipeline. This would also enhance economic development, groom a more willing and qualified workforce, as well as provide a competitive edge within industry. 

Simply put, Gen Z, manufacturers and key advanced manufacturing regions need each other now more than ever in order to win at a sustainable future.

UBJ: skillsgapp combines video games with job training to spur rural economic development

As a mother, Tina Zwolinski doesn’t need to look at the statistics to know just how ubiquitous video games are in the lives of today’s younger generations. She need only look to her kids for that information.

But as the co-founder of the startup Skillsgapp, which uses video games to promote skills-based training, it helps to have the statistics on hand. Read more.

The Future of Manufacturing is Right in the Palm of Your Hands.

One of the biggest things that sets Gen Z apart from other generations is that they were born as digital natives. According to the Pew Research Center, “Some 45% of teens say they are online ‘almost constantly,’ and an additional 44% say they’re online several times a day.”

But Gen Z uses the internet differently than Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers. While previous generations use it to seek information, Gen Z uses it for entertainment…along with pretty much everything else. This opens up a huge opportunity for Manufacturers to use technology to reach them “where they live”, especially in rural areas. Pew goes on to report that “95% of 13- to 17-year-olds have access to a smartphone, and a similar share (97%) use at least one of seven major online platforms.” The key is to leverage this medium in a way that helps to convert them into a viable workforce.  

The Global Gaming Market Could be Worth $159.3 Billion by The End of 2020

mobile gamers chart

“In 2019, mobile games were responsible for 60% of the total revenue of the global video games market and registered over 1.36 billion gamers in the process. The number of mobile gamers worldwide is expected to reach 2.6 billion in 2020,” per New Zoo. According to techjury, “mobile is set to make up 48% of the world’s gaming market share this year and that 45% of U.S. gamers are women.” So it’s conceivable that what Grand Theft Auto has done to driving dexterity, customized manufacturing gaming can do for problem solving and soft skills. Augmented reality and virtual reality are already crossing over from entertainment to education; a recent Forbes article explains that, “AR brings new flexibility to on-the-job training.” And with the expansion of 5G service, including to rural areas, Manufacturers can now “meet”, recruit and educate Gen Z no matter where they live.

Virtual Learning Gives Manufacturers an Unprecedented Opportunity to Attract New Talent

It’s becoming increasingly clear that schools’ and industries’ widespread implementation of digital learning strategies is long overdue. While the value of in-person instruction continues to persevere, the pandemic forced the immediate implementation of virtual strategies, and Gen Z is adapting. According to Bizly chief strategy officer Kevin Iwamoto, “Millennials and Gen Z figured out how to develop communities and live in a virtual world.”

boy doing virtual reality

If manufacturers can attract Gen Z by introducing virtual learning strategies that engage, entertain and educate them on the opportunities of middle-skills careers at an early age, not only will they begin to reverse the ‘Plan B’ mindset, but they’ll be fueling their talent pipeline when it’s so desperately needed. Between 2014–2024, 48% of job openings will be middle-skill and filling these jobs is critical because the global talent shortage could reach 85.2 million people by 2030.

Gamified Skills Development

Microsoft’s Minecraft: Education Edition is an example of how Gen Z succeeds at gamified learning. This edition of Minecraft has taken off in the wake of the pandemic as 63 million pieces of its content have been downloaded since March. Deirdre Quarnstrom, GM of the Minecraft Atlas division, says “We started with this premise that Minecraft is a game used in education, and not an educational game.”

It combines three major things that fuel the next generation’s success at virtual education including entertainment, engagement and social interaction. Minecraft explains that its remote learning toolkit “includes more than 50 lessons, STEM curriculum and project-based learning activities so educators can use Minecraft: Education Edition with their students whether they are in school, at home or in another remote learning environment.” This can help students learn and play wherever they are, including in rural areas.

Manufacturers: Upping Your Game in Attracting Talent

Simply put, Gen Z plays to win. The majority of them are competitive with their eyes set on making it to the “top of their game.” Keith Barr, CEO of L2L, says “The industry needs to consider developing and deploying plant-floor technology that utilizes gamification and transparency to take advantage of Gen Z’s unique skills.” 

Manufacturers will also need play to win Gen Z by delivering game-changing content that finds and engages them wherever they are in their digital world. 

Breaking Gen Z’s Misconceptions About Today’s Manufacturing â€Ķ and Why it Matters.

Americans’ traditional road to the middle class cannot be traveled easily in today’s world. Gen Z is learning this all too well as they’ve seen the world around them change drastically throughout their formative years. First, they grew up watching millennials take the more conventional route of obtaining a four-year degree, only to accumulate student loan debt and struggle to pay it off with low-paying jobs. And now with COVID-19, those same kids are watching their parents get laid off or furloughed from their white collar, “stable” jobs. 

Breaking the stigma around manufacturing careers isn’t only the key to their future…but ours as well.

The Misconceptions of Manufacturing Careers 

Since the end of WWII, it’s been ingrained in us that if you bypass college, a career path leading to financial stability is a pipe dream. This makes middle-skills jobs, typically requiring a two-year curriculum post secondary education, less sought after than jobs requiring a four-year degree. But here’s the rub: Middle skill careers are paying the same, or even higher wages than those other jobs do, even when starting out. Mitch DeJong, chief technology officer of Brooklyn Park manufacturer Design Ready Controls, credits this misconception to the “dirty hands stigma.”

The stigma is reminiscent of an industrial wasteland. Early 20th century manufacturing facilities still conjure up images of dirty and dangerous places where an entire skills-centric workforce is relegated to a back-breaking career in dismal conditions, simply because they didn’t go to college. But today’s advanced manufacturing facilities have revamped and revitalized their operations, not only to upgrade their AI and robotics, but to maximize the safety and wellbeing of their workforce, whom they desperately need to retain and promote in order to remain competitive in the 21st century.

Skills Gap, Meet Gen Z 

Simply defined, the skills gap is a global talent shortage of skills-based workers that could reach 85.2 million people by 2030. According to the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, “Among U.S. teens, 52% expressed little or no interest in a manufacturing career. When asked why, the respondents said, “Manufacturing was a declining field, with unprofessional, dead-end jobs, dirty factories and frequent layoffs.” Industry Week also highlights the fact that parents aren’t as likely to talk to their kids about the industry because they believe manufacturing is outdated, low-paying or unchallenging. Not only that, but only 3 in 10 parents would consider guiding their child toward a career in the field according to the National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute. 

This means that the skills gap isn’t driven by a shortage of people, but rather a shortage of people with skills. And this crevasse is only deepening because 10,000 baby boomers a day are reaching retirement age for the next 14 years. The $1.748 trillion-in-potential-lost-revenue challenge here is for industry, government and educators to get parents and Gen Z excited about the surplus of middle-skills manufacturing positions about to become available that are as respectable as they are financially rewarding. According to a Salary Survey report from Industry Week, the average salary for a manufacturing manager in 2018 was $118,500.

Modern Manufacturing Today

It’s images like this one of Ford’s Truck Plant in Dearborn, Michigan, that perpetuate the “dirty hands stigma”,  yet it hasn’t looked like this in years.

old and new factory photos

Ford, like most other advanced manufacturers, has transformed its facilities into environmentally-conscious workplaces with ultra-modern features, including a  “living roof” as a safeguard to preserving air and water quality. This is an example of a big win for attracting Generation Z. According to Gen Z expert Corey Seemiller, “Many of them want to work in an organization that is committed to environmental advocacy, as evidenced in their spending, products and organizational practices.”

Youth Apprenticeships: A Win-Win

According to SHRM, the combination of a tight labor market and the high cost of a college education is fueling the interest in youth apprenticeships. This is great news for all, as apprenticeships are a win-win, offering students the chance to find stable middle-skills jobs that they like and can grow into, while their employers create a happy workforce they can groom from an early age.

In general, here’s how it works. According to Kelly Steinhilper, vice president, Communications SC Technical College System, “High school juniors and seniors combine high school curriculum and career and technology training with critical on-the-job training performed at a local business. The students can pull in a paycheck through part-time work while earning a national credential in one of many high-demand occupations. They gain critical workforce experience while earning their high school diploma and some college credit. At the same time, South Carolina’s business and industry that need highly skilled workers can build a solid workforce pipeline for the future.”

McLeod Information Systems, LLC, (MIS) provides a perfect example. Debbie McLeod, president and co-founder of MIS, reported that she found the youth apprenticeship program to be rewarding on many levels. “For one, it allows us as a company to prepare and grow our future industry leaders. Everyone in the company sees the value of the program. For the company employees that work directly with the apprentices, it is the brighter part of the workday when they get to instruct these impressionable minds.”

Is Gen Z Worth Your Attention?

The short answer is yes. The skills gap will cost companies trillions of dollars in lost economic opportunity if the talent shortage continues. This has created an unprecedented demand for middle-skills jobs that is guaranteed to remain strong for years. Between 2014–2024, 48% of job openings will require middle skills.

Simply put, manufacturers need to invest in reaching Gen Z today in order to thrive tomorrow. Stigmas take time to break, so why not spend it getting to know each other a little better.

  • Discover ways to engage with your workforce pipeline earlier
  • Scale career awareness and pathway access, especially for the underserved
  • Gain a competitive advantage for recruitment supported by meaningful data