The skills gap has garnered significant attention in the United States and globally in recent years. Communities, states, regions, and entire nations—now more than ever given the globalization of business—pay a heavy price when they cannot find or equip workers with the right skills for critical jobs. Simply stated, they fail to flourish and falter when meeting customer demands. In fact, PricewaterhouseCoopers's 2015 Global CEO Survey found that three-quarters of 1,322 responding CEOs in 77 countries say the skills shortage is the biggest threat to their business. But why is there such a substantial skills gap in a growing number of industries and across so many skill sets? Why aren't potential workers learning the right skills for high-demand jobs in their regions? More importantly, what are the consequences of the growing skills gap?