3 Reasons Why Early Talent Development Is the Future

Lately I’ve been noticing a cultural shift towards early talent development and I couldn’t be more excited about this next wave. Based on conversations with educators, learners, and corporate companies, here are three reasons why I think prioritizing students’ professional development is truly the future:

1. It produces top employable talents

With companies considering work experience as a huge plus for young applicants, it’s no surprise that learners want to develop their professional skills as early as possible. Through internships, mentorships, and career simulations, they can gain valuable experiences, skills, and connections while they’re still in school.?

I remember how Thomas Tang had a hard time finding an internship program, but absolutely thrived when we welcomed him as an intern at OWN Academy . In the two years he was with us, he helped organize an online video competition to market a visiting program to Lee Kum Kee , host two career events that reached over 80 students, and design a summer program for over 50 students. Since then, his career journey has been amazing, and he is now a Business Analyst at 麦肯锡 .?

When we talk about early talent development at OWN Academy, we focus on core competencies that are invaluable across all industries, such as openness and growth mindset, work ethic and commitment to excellence, networking and communication, innovation and creativity, and teamwork and empathy. So not only will students get a foot in the door, they will also have the tools to navigate and thrive in their professional lives.?

2. It creates meaningful impact for the learners—and the community

While early talent development directly benefits the learners who participate, it also creates a positive impact on their communities when they use the skills they learned to pay it forward.?

For instance, Seneng Utami is a former domestic worker who is now a photographer and programmer. As part of our first Soho House & Co Mentorship Program cohort in Hong Kong, she worked on a street photography project under the guidance of photographer Michael Kistler . She sold a few photos at the finale exhibit and used the proceeds to provide food and learning materials for refugees in Indonesia, her home country.??

Seneng is now based in Nepal and learning how to code. In the long term, she aims to use her photography and programming skills to provide free courses for domestic workers, girls who can’t go to school, and anyone who wants to keep learning.?

3. It produces a ripple effect

The way that Seneng paid it forward at the mentorship program finale exhibit shows how early talent development can directly impact a community. However, it’s also worth looking ahead to see how it can plant the seeds for years to come.?

I remember Christine Vicera (she/hers/siya) from the 2022 Soho House Mentorship Program in Hong Kong who created a powerful poetry collection for her final project. Before joining the program, she had co-founded Belonging HK , an arts-for-education lab that advocates for inclusion for Hong Kong's ethnically diverse communities.?

This year, I was so inspired to see Christine’s post about “Seated with Strangers,” an event in honor of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It brought together over 300 people in the social impact space and featured diverse music, writing, and film pieces.?

In a previous article , I shared how Yui Kurosawa , our former head of ambassadors, is now a college student interning in Uganda to help incorporate real-world learning in the curriculum of the liberal arts college in Musizi University . I was delighted to hear from Yui that it reminded her of her OWN Academy internship.?

In the same vein, I’m thrilled to see the initiatives of Chidiadi Winner Ndukauba from the 2021 Soho House Mentorship Program in Mumbai. Now based in Nigeria, she and a local mentor who teaches computer engineering are trying to put up a mentorship program for young learners. Though OWN Academy doesn’t have a presence in Nigeria (yet!), I'm excited to explore ways to help Chidiadi and spread the word.?

Whether or not we’re directly involved in how students from our early talent development programs pay it forward to their communities, it’s so inspiring to see how they create impact in their own ways through the years. Early talent development and service learning may be two different concepts at the moment, but perhaps there is a way to integrate both in the future.?

What are your thoughts on early talent development? How do you see it playing a part in the future of education??

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