As Federal agencies navigate tighter budgets and faster technological change, cross-skilling has emerged as a strategic lever to drive efficiency, agility, and mission delivery. Rather than rely on narrow specializations, cross-skilling enables agencies to build teams with competencies that span domains like cloud, cybersecurity, and data analytics.
In a recent interview, Tony Holmes, practice lead for solutions architects for public sector at Pluralsight, discussed the growing importance of cross-skilling, how it differs from other training strategies, and the steps Federal IT leaders can take to cultivate a more adaptive workforce.
MeriTalk: Government IT teams are under pressure to do more with fewer resources. Can you walk us through why cross-skilling – versus hiring specialists – is emerging as a critical strategy for agencies today?
Holmes: Specialists still play a vital role, particularly in areas like cybersecurity and data, but relying exclusively on narrowly defined roles can create fragile environments. Too often, individuals enter the workforce trained only in a single domain, without exposure to adjacent systems. That makes operations vulnerable to disruptions when a key person is unavailable or when projects span multiple disciplines.
Cross-skilling reverses those single points of failure by enabling team members to collaborate across domains and contribute more broadly. It also improves morale, because employees feel more valued and connected to the mission when they can grow across domains. In today’s environment of accelerated timelines and quickly evolving mission needs, having a cross-skilled team means your agency can reconfigure in real time without waiting for new hires or navigating extended onboarding cycles.
MeriTalk: We often hear about upskilling or reskilling. How is cross-skilling different, and why is it especially important for IT teams working with interconnected technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, and cybersecurity?
Holmes: Upskilling means deepening your expertise within your existing specialty – think certifications or new frameworks. Reskilling is a full pivot to a new domain. Cross-skilling sits in between. It’s about building knowledge in connected areas.
This is critical in interconnected environments where technologies are deeply dependent on one another. For example, AI depends on clean data and secure cloud infrastructure. A security engineer who understands AI frameworks or a DevOps lead who grasps compliance implications will elevate conversations and reduce friction. Cross-skilling isn’t about becoming an expert in everything. It’s about gaining enough literacy to improve collaboration and decision-making across teams.
MeriTalk: Government efficiency often hinges on teams’ ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities. How does cross-skilling help agencies become more agile and responsive, rather than bogged down by silos or rigid role structures?
Holmes: Cross-skilling allows agencies to be flexible without needing to add headcount. When team members understand multiple domains, they see how their work fits into larger systems and can pivot as priorities shift. They can fill in for others. That’s key when missions evolve or staff availability changes.
Cross-skilling can be a significant shift in government, where rigid job descriptions often send the message, “That’s not my job.” High-performing organizations in the private sector, like startups or agile tech teams, treat job roles as guidelines, not boundaries. Federal agencies that adopt this mindset and embrace cross-skilling will see significant payoffs: operational fluidity, quicker onboarding of new tools, a culture of continuous adaptation, and faster learning curves when change happens.
MeriTalk: Can you share examples or insights into how cross-skilling has helped agencies complete projects faster, streamline workflows, or respond quickly to changing conditions – ultimately improving mission delivery?
Holmes: Picture a cloud migration project where the one person who understands compliance gets pulled away or leaves. That project could stall for weeks. But if others on the team are cross-skilled in cloud security principles or FedRAMP controls, work continues with minimal delays.
In incident response, if network operations staff recognize early threat behaviors, even without being on the cybersecurity team, they can escalate issues faster. That’s a more resilient posture. The Department of Defense already embraces this mindset. Personnel are intentionally cross-trained so no mission depends on one person. Civilian missions should follow the same principle. Cross-skilling builds resilience into your team by design.
MeriTalk: If I’m a Federal IT leader looking to implement a cross-skilling initiative, what practical steps should I take to incorporate this initiative into my team’s daily work – especially in a high-demand environment?
Holmes: Start by identifying natural overlaps where collaboration already happens: cybersecurity and network ops, cloud and compliance, for example. Those are great entry points. Then build learning into the workflow. Cross-skilling doesn’t require time-consuming courses. Micro-learning – 10 to 60 minutes – paired with project-based exposure, such as shadowing or function rotations, makes a huge difference.
Even small changes help. Invite adjacent roles into team meetings occasionally to build shared awareness. And set expectations early that cross-skilling isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s core to mission resilience. It’s a shift that starts with leadership, asking questions across domains, bringing different perspectives into planning conversations, and publicly recognizing when employees stretch into new territory. Leaders must make it safe to learn. If people are afraid to admit what they don’t know, they won’t reach for adjacent skills.
MeriTalk: How does Pluralsight specifically help government agencies identify skill gaps, support cross-skilling at scale, and ensure learning translates into real-world results?
Holmes: We built Pluralsight with this exact goal in mind. Our tools like Skill IQ and Role IQ give agencies visibility into employees’ current strengths and adjacent opportunities. Leaders can see where skills overlap, identify where skill development will have the greatest impact, and define flexible, targeted learning paths that can be embedded into the rhythm of work.
Beyond our library of more than 10,000 courses, we provide hands-on labs and sandbox environments that allow people to practice safely and learn through experience. Our analytics help leaders track skill development and inform staffing or project decisions. Role IQ even helps users understand what their teammates know and where they share common knowledge with employees in other domains. This shared visibility is crucial to scaling cross-skilling and fostering a learning culture that evolves with technology.