MSPs


BEYOND RE-SKILLING


The managed service provider (MSP) sector is facing a talent shortfall that runs deeper than most headlines suggest. While re-skilling initiatives are often touted as the solution, they rarely address the structural and cultural shifts reshaping the industry. From evolving customer expectations to the complexity of modern service delivery, today’s MSPs need more than technical upskilling, they need new mindsets, multidisciplinary capabilities, and systemic change. Andy Venables, CEO at POPX, unpacks why the skills gap persists and what it will really take to close it.


T 40 | November/December 2025


he conversation around the IT skills gap is not new, but for MSPs, the challenge has become more pressing. What was once


a shortage of engineers who could configure a new server, or mainframe, has now evolved into something much more complex – a shortage of process expertise. Traditional technical skills are still valuable,


but they’re no longer enough to keep pace with how IT services are delivered today. Te rise of automation, AI, and platform-driven service delivery means that MSPs increasingly need experts who understand how to redesign processes, define workflows, and ensure that automation drives measurable business


outcomes. Tis is a very different skill set from the mainframe engineers that MSPs have relied upon for decades. Te instinctive response to a skills shortage


is to retrain existing employees. However, the assumption that a mainframe expert can quickly pivot to an AI or automation specialist doesn’t necessarily cut it in reality; they are not adjacent career paths. For example, a process system specialist requires a different set of competencies: part systems architect, part business analyst, part change manager. Retraining also takes time, and time is a luxury


that MSPs don’t have. Markets and customer demands are moving faster than the learning


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