In 2020, the millennial generation amounted to a third of the workforce. So making the workplace attractive to this group is highly relevant.
You may know already that flexibility, great colleagues, and leave for travel are something that the millennials attach importance to when they are choosing their next workplace. But did you know that millennials also view lifelong learning and the possibility to develop as something of the most important in their work life?
Job Security And Lifelong Learning – the Numbers Speak For Themselves
Rumour has it that millennials often jump from job to job, but if they get the opportunity to develop and advance in the company, then they are more likely to stay, for a long time.
Actually, four out of five millennials say that the possibility for learning and getting new qualifications is decisive when they apply for a new job as they view learning to be a constant part of the career development. It gives them a form of job security but possibly also a different definition on job security than you are used to hearing.
The majority of the 19,000 millennials respond in a survey made by ManPowerGroup that job security means that you have the competencies that are needed for on the job market. Nevertheless, it is thought-provoking that the right competencies in a changeable work market mostly fill up when it comes to job security.
It makes sense when you look at the next statistic in which 46 % say that improving your competencies and qualifications are what it takes to reach the next step of the job ladder.
At the same time, staggering 93 % of all millennials say in the survey that they want lifelong learning and on top of that, they are willing to use their own time on training and learning.
4 Tips: How You Make Yourself Attractive with Learning and Development Possibilities
Did the numbers convince you that you need to place learning higher on the agenda in order to attract and keep millennials? If yes, then here are 4 tips on how you do it in practice.
1) Make The Possibilities Visible
How can you develop yourself by staying in the organization? You need to make that visible. A good idea is to have stories available with employees that career vise have developed in your company and who possibly has advanced. Those stories can you present already in your onboarding of new employees, possibly if you assign them digital learning processes.
In the stories, how the employees in question have developed may also gladly appear. Were it through guidance from others or possible with the help of e-learning?
At the same time, it is a good idea to make it clear on your career site and in your job postings for future applicants how a job at you can play a part in increasing the potential employee’s value on the job market.
2) Make Training Available
When so many millennials are willing to use their own time on training, it is obvious to make it available anywhere and whenever. That also applies if the employees must do the training during their working hours. You can also look into creating a digital development plan for employees.
Therefore, make sure that your digital learning process is available on both computer and smartphones. And if you at the same time want to create an increased motivation in your employees to do the learning, then you should take a look at if gamification could be the way to go.
3) Offer Mentor Training And The Possibility to Work Across
Give your employees the opportunity to work on different projects across the company. In that way, they get more experience and a bigger network in the organization. Coincident, you satisfy their hunger after new challenges, without them leaving the company.
In addition, it can be a good idea to offer the employees mentors who can give inspiration, advice, and counseling on how they can continue the career i the company, together with them developing their competencies.
4) Support The Employees
Make sure to thoroughly prepare a strong training and development plan for the employees. For by showing the employees that you are invested in their future, they will more likely also invest time and energy in your company. .
As a leader, it is not just about delegating tasks and making sure that the team executes. You also have to support the employees, so they learn and build up self-confidence. You can do that for example with the help of the above mentor program, but also by offering courses – digital and physical, so long the learning is a further development of the competencies they want to use in the company.