School to Business Pipeline?
I was listening to a panel discussion hosted by the Harvard School of Education recently. They have a regular series called EducationNow (as you may recall, that is a passion of mine), and this particular episode was on “The Future of Work.” (You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTnuHwvb6Yk&feature=share)
One of the panelists, economist Raffaela Sadun, echoed a sentiment I have shared here previously about the role of schools in creating workers for industry – specifically that it is not the schools’ job to train future employees so businesses don’t have to.
There are many reasons for this, not least of which is that each business (and each position/role) needs different skills – different levels of manual labor, of engineering thinking, of strategic planning, and so on. It would be impossible for schools to teach each student all of the skills needed for every possible job they might take (or create!).
Therefore, while schools may take on the role of teaching students how to learn and make the best use of available resources, businesses should hold the responsibility of training their workers in the areas where those workers need to gain appropriate skill. (In addition, I would encourage you to offer additional professional development opportunities to your people. Think about what they would like to learn or to know more about – ask them what opportunities they would appreciate – and then see what you can provide to address those needs.)
Some leaders voice concerns about providing training opportunities to their workers, especially for skills that could take them to the next level or to a different role. One of the most common worries is that your well-trained people will leave your organization for another that is willing to pay them more. But think about this: If you don’t offer your employees the opportunity to grow and develop and move up (or to expand their role), aren’t they likely to leave anyway? Who would want to stay with an organization that is purposely keeping them down? Would you want to remain with a business that didn’t seem to respect you or your ability to do more?
If you are a leader, also be sure you are providing professional development opportunities for all of your team members, not just your “high potential” candidates. You need every person in your business (or you wouldn’t continue to have that role…), so show them you appreciate them and want what is best for them.
Go a step farther and help each person identify skills they lack for future roles they may want. And, if they do decide to leave your company, you can know you did everything possible to help them achieve their dreams. (This kind of culture will help you retain your people as long as possible. Knowing you care will make them want to stay.)
Whose needs have you been ignoring? How can you address them now?
In what ways can you immediately start offering professional development to every employee?
How else can you show them you care and want what is best for them (while also hoping they’ll stay with you as long as possible)?