The tech savvy younger generation of workers “dislike” online training, according to new research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
The research suggests that employers should pay more attention to developing graduates within their own organisations, while also refraining from making false assumptions of how these younger workers desire to learn.
Building on the unique skills of graduates
The CIPD’s Developing the Next Generation report found that employers creating stereotypes of how they believe the younger generation would like to learn could create extremely ineffective development opportunities.
Ruth Stuart, the Research Advisor for Learning and Development (L&D) at CIPD, said that with 300,000 young people and graduates entering into the workplace every year, employers must “establish effective development opportunities from the moment they are employed” which is vital to retention. She said it also enables new staff to “build on the unique skills they bring”.
The report highlighted that younger people preferred bite-size learning and gaining knowledge from experience while receiving constructive feedback from their peers. While this generation admitted they were tech savvy, they disliked the idea of online training.
As a result of these findings, the CIPD is urging graduate employers to focus predominantly on helping younger employees develop professionally, thus leading them to retain individuals and further improve business performance.
Developing future leaders
The CIPD has noted that while the younger generation enter the workplace full of ambition, innovative thinking and technological understanding, they need to develop skills in acceptance, criticism, emotional intelligence and self awareness.
The 2015 report from the CIPD found that 76% of employers have at least one programme in place that is aimed at young people and graduates, including work-based degrees and apprenticeships.
The Graduate Programme Manager at Fujitsu, Nick White, said it is incredibly important for businesses to invest in younger people within their organisations as they drive “engagement, increase efficiency and foster greater productivity across the workforce”.
If you’re a graduate employer and would like to develop your future leaders, why not find out more about the Discovery OPEN Programme here.
