To reach the next level of skills development tech, organizations need more than just advanced tools—they need a strategy that aligns technology with real workforce needs. At HR Tech 2024, Dani Johnson, co-founder and principal analyst at RedThread Research, highlighted how HR leaders can make skills data actionable, supporting both learning and performance in a human-centric way.

RedThread Research is a firm that studies technology's role in skills development, the evolving function of managers, performance management innovations and more. It also supports a consortium of tech providers promoting unbiased, reliable research on HR technology. Together, the consortium members fund tech research efforts and collaborate to educate the market.

In this video interview, Johnson discusses the evolution of skills management, emphasizing AI and technology's role in making skills data actionable. She says RedThread has identified 80 vendors in the skills tech space that are focusing on building taxonomies and aligning skills with organizational structures. "And the interesting thing was, the things that they're doing right now aren't particularly sexy, but they're so important to set up the next level of what can happen with [skills tech]," said Johnson.