A political savant and leader in policy and legislation, Donald Gainsborough is at the helm of Government Curated, where he guides state and local agencies through the complex intersection of technology and public service. With years of experience witnessing the direct impact of budget fluctuations on governmental operations, he offers a sharp perspective on the challenges of building a future-ready public workforce. This interview explores the critical tech skills gap in local government, the tangible consequences for citizens when funding falls short, innovative strategies for upskilling on a tight budget, and a forecast for the evolving landscape of public sector technology.
What specific tech skills are most critical for state and local governments right now, and what are the tangible consequences for public services when these skills are lacking? Please share a specific metric or example you’ve seen firsthand.
Right now, the most urgent needs are in cybersecurity and data analytics. It’s not just about IT departments anymore; every public employee needs a baseline understanding of cyber hygiene. The consequences of failing here are devastating. I worked with a mid-sized county that suffered a ransomware attack on its property records office. They couldn’t process a single home sale or permit for three weeks. The financial loss was immense, but the real damage was the complete erosion of public trust. You can’t just tell citizens their most valuable asset is locked behind a digital wall. It’s a visceral failure of a core government function.
On the data side, we’re seeing agencies collect vast amounts of information but lack the talent to interpret it. A city I advised had a program to address food insecurity, but they were distributing resources based on outdated census tracts. With a skilled data analyst, they could have used real-time data from social service calls and utility payment assistance requests to pinpoint specific neighborhoods, even specific city blocks, with the most acute need. Lacking that skill meant well-intentioned efforts were inefficient, and families were falling through the cracks.
When state and local agencies face budget uncertainty, how does that specifically affect their ability to fund and plan long-term tech skills development? Could you describe which types of training programs are often the first to be cut?
Budget uncertainty is paralyzing for long-term planning. You can’t commit to a three-year cloud computing certification program for your staff if you don’t know what your revenue will look like in six months. This forces leaders into a reactive, short-term mindset. You’re constantly plugging holes in the dam instead of building a stronger dam. This is incredibly frustrating for public managers who want to innovate but are hamstrung by the fiscal realities.
The first programs on the chopping block are almost always the “forward-looking” ones—training in things like artificial intelligence implementation, user experience design for government websites, or advanced data visualization. These are seen as luxuries rather than necessities. The focus shifts entirely to mandatory, compliance-based training, like basic cybersecurity protocols or software updates for existing legacy systems. So, you end up in a cycle where you’re only teaching your workforce how to maintain the old, creaking machinery, never giving them the skills to design and build something new and better.
Beyond traditional funding, what are some innovative or low-cost strategies government leaders can use to upskill their workforce amid budget constraints? Please walk us through a step-by-step approach for implementing one such successful strategy.
One of the most effective strategies I’ve seen is creating an internal skills-sharing or mentorship program. It builds capacity from within and fosters a culture of learning. First, you conduct a simple, agency-wide skills inventory to identify employees who have valuable tech knowledge, whether it’s advanced spreadsheet skills, experience with a specific project management software, or even a knack for social media engagement. These individuals become your “internal experts.”
Second, you formalize the program. You don’t just hope people talk; you create structured opportunities. This could be a monthly “lunch and learn” series where an expert presents on a topic for 45 minutes. Step three is to incentivize it. You might not have cash for bonuses, but you can offer perks like a “floater” vacation day for every three sessions an expert leads, or formal recognition in their performance review, which can help with career advancement. Finally, you create a simple online portal or shared drive where resources from these sessions—like presentation slides, templates, and video recordings—are stored. This builds an evergreen training library at virtually no cost. It’s about leveraging the talent you already have instead of assuming expertise must always be bought from the outside.
How does the challenge of developing tech talent in the public sector compare to the private sector’s approach? What practical steps can state and local governments take to retain newly skilled employees who might be drawn to higher private-sector salaries?
The private sector is laser-focused on skills that drive profit and market advantage. They can invest heavily and pivot quickly. The public sector’s challenge is different; our “return on investment” is public trust and effective service delivery, which is harder to quantify. We can’t and shouldn’t try to compete on salary alone; that’s a losing battle. Where we can win is on mission and impact.
To retain talent, leaders need to constantly connect an employee’s tech skills back to that mission. Don’t just train someone on a new data platform; show them how their analysis directly led to shorter wait times at the DMV or helped the fire department optimize response routes. Secondly, offer stability and a healthy work-life balance, which are increasingly valuable commodities. The private sector often demands a 24/7 hustle culture that government work typically avoids. Finally, create clear pathways for advancement. An employee who feels they have a real career ladder to climb within public service is far less likely to leave for a modest pay bump, especially if they believe in the work they’re doing.
What is your forecast for the tech skills gap in state and local government over the next five years, especially considering ongoing budget pressures?
I believe the gap is going to get worse before it gets better. In the next two to three years, continued budget pressures will likely force more municipalities, especially smaller ones, to delay critical tech investments and training. They will fall further behind, and we may see more high-profile service failures or cybersecurity breaches as a result. This will be a painful period.
However, I am optimistic in the longer-term, five-year outlook. These very failures will serve as a powerful catalyst for change. Citizens are growing more accustomed to seamless digital experiences in their private lives, and their patience for clunky, inefficient government services is wearing thin. This public pressure, combined with the undeniable security risks of inaction, will force elected officials to treat technology and skills training not as a line-item expense but as a core, non-negotiable part of the public infrastructure, just like roads and bridges. We’ll see more creative solutions, like regional training consortiums and state-level grants specifically earmarked for upskilling local government employees. The road ahead is bumpy, but the destination is a more resilient and responsive government.
