TRAIN IN G & D EV ELO PMENT
C ambr id geshire and Pe terb oro u g h Combine d Au t hor i t y
Any exposure to technology is beneficial, even though it will all be different by the time today’s students become employees. Far from the pandemic being a time of ‘lost’ learning, many students have become more independent users of technology over recent months – using it to keep in touch with friends and family, for entertainment, to learn how to do things that interest them from YouTube videos and – most significantly – to learn online from home. This autonomy and their new-found proficiencies stand them in good stead for their future employment, whether that will be adapting to changing technologies or coping with the more flexible, hybrid working between home and the office that is now becoming a reality.
Working together now, for the future
development, application and use together with existing staff – sharing information with others to create stronger and more proficient teams.
Balancing needs In return however, companies will need to recognise the importance of technology to their latest employees. These new recruits are not only tech-savvy but have also been taught to be creative problem solvers throughout their education. Businesses should be aware that increasingly, if they continue to use legacy technology without good reason or have inflexible digital practices, the talented new recruits they attract may find it frustrating to work with, especially if they know how to do things faster or more efficiently with different tools. Then it becomes a question of balancing the needs of the talent you have specifically recruited (and want to retain!) with the requirements of the business and its willingness to adapt and change with the times.
These new recruits are not only tech-savvy but have also been taught to be creative problem solvers throughout their education.
Employers can certainly benefit from engaging more closely with the tech-savvy cohort of young people currently progressing through the education system. By investing in students’ futures by hosting them for work experience placements, employers give them their first taste of the world of work and how technology is applied. And they can go further than this. Apprentices bring a myriad of benefits to companies as often, as part of their qualification requirements, they will need to learn and explore a range of technical, interpersonal and problemsolving skills that reach right across the business, which gives them experience and expertise that other employees don’t have. Importantly, apprentices can help companies address any digital skills gaps by bringing knowledge from the various solutions they’ve used at school or college and working on their
Human skills still rule Of course, technology won’t be the answer to everything in the workplace of the future. The world of businesses is based on human interaction, so we’ll still need those problem solving, faceto-face communication, empathy and social abilities. However, the combination of these with thoroughly embedded tech knowledge and digital skills – plus greater employer engagement with schools and colleges over the years to come − will make for an increasingly capable and productive workforce.
AL KINGSLEY a member of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s Business Board and Group Managing Director of NetSupport
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