Businesses, stop complaining start getting involved
It is bizarre. Universities think they are doing a great job at preparing students for their future careers, business leaders disagree. I lost count of how many times I’ve heard and read about the skills gap we’re facing in the 21st century. Much has been written about the fact that university education á la post-industrial revolution isn’t working anymore, yet only a few universities truly manage to change their concepts and way of working. There are many reasons for this, and I’ve elaborated on some of them in my previous blog about the main issues I’ve encountered in higher education institutions.
This time I want to change the perspective and look at what businesses themselves can do to improve the situation for students and their skill-development. Rather than only putting all blame on the universities it is important to realize that businesses, who often are described as “customers” of universities, have a fair share of responsibility to help educate the future workforce. Currently, most companies focus on complaining about the lack of applicable skills graduates have, instead of helping students acquiring these skills while they’re still at university. However, offering internships and jobs to students (and then complaining about their lack of skills) when they are in their final phases of their studies just isn’t enough.
You can’t complain about your mum’s food all the time when you don’t cook yourself or help change the recipes.
Businesses are aware of this problem. 77% of business leaders say businesses should do more to increase their current level of collaboration with higher education institutions, however only 13% think they’re already doing a great deal. Despite this awareness, many businesses remain passive about bridging the gap.
So what should businesses consider and which actions can they take to decrease the skill gap?
Get involved early
As described above, just offering help/employment to students when they are in the final phase of their study or graduated just doesn’t do it. Building up skills is a process and if businesses want more job-ready graduates then they need to also consider first and second-year students who are often-times neglected due to the fact that they will not enter the job market soon. If you get involved in the professional development of students early, by offering learning opportunities (more about what those could be later in the article) from day one, you can not only help them build up the right skills and awareness; you also stay in their minds for when they have to choose who they want to work for upon graduation.
Help change the recipe
I recently spoke to a senior Talent Acquisition Manager of one of the largest banks of the Netherlands. He confirmed that in the past the connection with universities was mostly bottom up. This means companies used students associations and occasionally career services (if available) as their point of entry to universities and involvement was more on an ad-hoc basis. Nowadays, it is more important than ever before that company leaders engage with university managers and curriculum designers to inform decisions on the what and how certain subjects are being taught. Like this, the content of courses can be made more relevant and students are more likely to gain the applied knowledge businesses require.
Be proactive
I have to admit, getting in touch with universities, professors and staff isn’t easy, and often a lot of patience is needed due to the bureaucracy and time it takes to get something back. Nevertheless, many businesses don’t look actively for the contact with universities other than when there are job fairs or requests for other engagements on campus. Instead, professionals throughout the organisation (not only campus recruiters) should make an effort to connect with students, professors and university managers proactively. You’ll see that you will be welcomed with open arms. Students are always looking for inspiration from professionals, lecturers for support in making their classes relevant to students, and researchers for company partners and ways to make their research valuable for organizations.
Offer more than just internships
Internships are a great way to get experience and learn about the skills actually needed in the workplace. However, especially in Europe, internships are something students do at the end of their studies and many universities do not have internships included in their curriculum. As a supplement to internship offerings, or as an alternative, businesses could offer more shadowing opportunities (offer students to join a professional for one day), work experience, as well as mentoring opportunities for students. This way the students can explore the professional world, as well as your company in a more concise yet personal way. Another very popular, yet often underutilized tool is to provide more practical assignments and case studies for students. There’s always something in an organisation which could be improved or explored but, it’s not being tackled due to a lack of time. Have students help you solve those challenges and help them gain real-life insights in the process.
Get involved in the teaching — on campus and off campus
As mentioned before, businesses should start approaching universities proactively and offer help instead of just jobs. Changing the attitude from “ I will only get involved if I can see a short-term benefit (of hiring)” to “I’ll make an effort to help teach the skills we need and in the process we brand ourselves to talent” is needed. Take the time to educate your future colleagues!
Students don’t want to hear generic recruitment pitches anymore. You also don’t want to spend hours of scanning through CVs of students who apply for jobs/internships without even knowing the purpose and work at your company. One way to avoid that and to add value to the students’ learning process is to have professionals of your company give guest lectures in classes of specific subjects. Students need to know how the theory they learn is applied in the real world context. Professionals are often best placed to make this connection. In fact most teachers agree that career talks delivered by professionals are the best way to raise the career aspiration of students. Reach out to professors to offer your input. If not on campus, workshops on-site at your company about specific topics are another great way to teach students as well as to make them familiar with your company. I´m not talking about typical “in-house days” which are mostly just a company presentation. What I mean are small master-classes on specific topics, technologies, etc. delivered by a professional.
Lessons learned
In the digital age, businesses and universities need to collaborate and work hand in hand to ensure students are well-prepared for the future workforce. Universities need to open up and businesses need to be more proactive, creative and genuine in the way they approach students and universities. What I’ve experienced is that professionals love giving back to students and as a company leader you should empower your employees to do so (which will also help them in their professional development).
For decades, many businesses considered attending one student career fair per year sufficient to attract student talent. These are outdated student-recruitment tactics from the past and don’t work anymore with today’s generation. On the flip side, the companies that actually start getting involved in shaping the student’s learning journey and have this as their primary interested, will be rewarded. It’s these kinds of companies who will be admired and approached by the top students later down the road because they have shown that they care.
