Companies continue to face significant upskilling challenges with new entrants to workforce
The rate at which the modern workforce is evolving is hard to keep up with.
But it’s especially hard for academia when colleges and universities can’t necessarily build a brand new course that highlights the skills, both hard and soft, that are needed in todays transforming workplace.
That is leaving a disconnect between the skills of graduates entering the workforce and what employers expect of them. The domino effect? Employers are having to inject their onboarding plans with a lot more in-depth training, opportunities for upskilling or reskilling – and adjusted expectations.
With employers stretched thin themselves, that can be a significant task, but it’s necessary to ensure productivity from new workers from the outset of their employment. We spoke to workplace experts to get a better understanding of the tension that this dynamic is creating and how it requires an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure the success of the youngest generation of workers.
“I’m seeing a continued reluctance in people willing to hire college grads,” said Rajesh Namboothiry, svp, head of Manpower U.S. at staffing and recruiting agency ManpowerGroup. “That’s something we continue to see across the spectrum, not just for a certain sector or industry. The conversation is how do we change that.”
Research from recruiting agency Bright Network’s over 14,000 members found that while graduates thought that existing industry experience would be valued the most by prospective employers, employers actually rated that as the least valued thing. Instead, employers cared the most about passion for the business, followed by resilience. Meanwhile, graduates rated resilience as the eighth most important factor. When graduates and employers have a disconnect that wide on what is really needed, it sets that graduate up for uncertainty from the jump.
New technology, including generative AI, is a big piece of the puzzle. Research from Bright Network also found that 52% of students are using GenAI weekly or daily, and 38%have already used it for their job applications. James Uffindell, CEO of Bright Network, a platform that is focused on connecting graduates with recruiters in global companies, describes that trend as “troublesome for employers.”
“It’s harder to weed out the weak applications,” said Uffindell. “Back in the day, if you were below average, you would be clearly seen as that. Now, AI is basically taking everybody up to at least being middle-of-the-rank applications. It’s making it harder to do a first screening.”
Increased interest in boot camps and upskilling
The experts we spoke with said that most students or graduates want to upskill themselves, whether that is participating in tech boot camps or getting more certifications under their belt. At Bright Network, its applications for training programs have spiked since its launch in 2021. And at General Assembly, they offer tech boot camps in coding, data, and UX.
While graduates are interested in these new routes, so are employers when looking for new hires.
“So many of our hiring managers are alumni as well,” said Lupe Colangelo, director of employer partnerships at General Assembly. “The alumni know that the program is hard and they know what they’re getting.”
General Assembly’s State of Tech Talent report found that 53% of talent acquisition professionals said their companies are seeking new sources of talent and the same percentage said they are reducing traditional educational requirements (like college degrees) for open positions.
If a company doesn’t have the resources to double down on upskilling or reskilling, choosing a new hire who has done this on their own time would ensure a smoother transition into the workforce.
“We have a lot of employers who haven’t had too much luck with their traditional entry pathways for folks,” said Colangelo. “I see there are some employers who have a great college to entry-level pipeline, and they still want to go the boot camp route as well.”
In other cases, companies might partner with an external company that focuses on upskilling and placing workers. The ManpowerGroup works with companies like Cisco, Microsoft and IBM to do just that. Their goal is to address the gaps between academia and the workforce that continue to exist today.
“There is a gap,” said Namboothiry. “I’m on several educational boards where we talk about about niche skills and the demand for them.”
In North America, Manpower has seen a 29% increase in participants for its MyPath program which helps its associates develop new skills for growth jobs. Globally, they’ve seen a 40% year-over-year increase in its upskilling programs.
Doubling down on onboarding
Keeping it in-house means being extremely intentional about the onboarding process to help set up a young entrant into the workforce for success.
“We are definitely seeing more energy going into onboarding,” said Uffindell.
Colangelo said that there is a clear interest from employers to invest in the junior-level workforce by not only being thoughtful about onboarding but also ensuring there is a structure in place even after their first few weeks on the job. That includes offering support systems and mentorship opportunities that are intentional.
“How do you compensate for the gap?,” said Namboothiry. “Zero to one year of experience is where the challenge is for companies. How can we make a step change and get through the zero to one and build better readiness for that? Onboarding is where you can spot if intervention is needed in terms of courses they need to take.”
At the same time, taking a closer look at the onboarding process can also help employers who can leverage insights from the next generation and ultimately learn from one another.
“Gen Z is very strong in their willingness to take risks with technology and learn from failings,” said Jenny Maxwell, head of Grammarly for Education. “That’s a special thing to leverage. It’s matching people within an organization who have a great aptitude for AI and then being mentored by others on how to have grit.”