Behind the scenes: The Next Gen Trailblazer Celebration

"...your actions (can) inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more..."

Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t         

Marking successes, acknowledging effort, inspiring others - at Trailhead, we really believe in the impact of celebrating milestones. So, with lockdowns finally receding into distant memory, it felt like the right time to get together, look to the future, and toast the achievements of the next generation of young talent who are just starting out on their Trailblazing career paths.

That’s why, at the end of August, we invited 120 recent graduates from six different Workforce Development (WFD) partners across the UK to join us at Salesforce Towers, welcoming them into the incredible Trailblazer Community in a way only Salesforce can.

Nurturing net new talent

Let’s start by briefly explaining what a WFD partner is, as they play a critical role in developing the digital talent companies need now and in the future. These are organisations that identify individuals from a diverse range of audiences - for example, educationally disadvantaged, unemployed, women wanting to return to work, refugees - and support their (re-)skilling process. The ultimate outcome is either to find a new and rewarding career within Salesforce customers and partners, or to work for the WFD partner itself and be a contractable resource for them.

Why is this so important? Well, IDC forecasts that there will be almost 1.5 million net new jobs created across EMEA in the Salesforce Ecosystem by 2026. Yet companies currently don't have access to enough diverse, skilled and experienced people to realise this potential.

It's not a situation that will resolve itself. We need to dramatically grow the talent pipeline to meet this increasing need but, if we want to grow a skilled workforce, we need to make sure we're driving a connected learning experience. This means taking people from digital savviness (understanding tech capabilities), to equipping them with technical & power ('softer') skills, to getting them certificated and giving them real-world, hands-on experience.

And this is something our WFD partners are perfectly placed to deliver.

Welcome to the family

We’re extremely fortunate to have our Ohana Floor in Salesforce Tower, London, to hold events. Situated on the 36th Floor, the view of London is awe-inspiring. And you might be interested to know that Ohana is the Hawaiian word for extended family so metaphorically speaking, even our beautiful venue helped set the right tone.

The agenda for the afternoon was to let the graduates know we recognised how hard they’d worked to become Salesforce certified, to celebrate their many achievements, and to give them some ideas on how they can give back and be an inspiration for others.

So, we carefully invited speakers who were able to empower and uplift from their own journeys.

No matter what you achieve, the journey doesn’t stop. How you can make an impact? How can you reach those people who haven’t got there yet?        

Inspiring others

To kick-off, Liz Williams, CEO of FutureDotNow, Rachid Hourizi, Director at Institute of Coding, and Louise Lockie, Independent Consultant and MVP, joined Stuart Mills, VP Trailhead and Ecosystems, EMEA, in a pacy and insightful panel session, as they examined why a career in the digital sphere is so full of meaning and potential.

The overall message was one of building inner confidence, contributing to the community and embracing the opportunity to fall in love with continuous development. Or to paraphrase their phenomenal collective wisdom: ‘Always keep learning, stay curious and join the Trailblazer Community. See yourselves as digital champions today!’

'Always keep learning, stay curious and join the Trailblazer Community. See yourselves as digital champions today!'        

We were then joined by World, European and two time Paralympic rowing champion Lauren Rowles. Her remarkable journey began in 2012 when, at the age of 13, she woke up one morning paralysed from the waist down. If there’s a more powerful story to learn about mental resilience, perseverance and goal setting, we haven’t heard it yet!

No-one could fail to be moved by Lauren’s determination and focus, as she embarked on her own journey as a Trailblazer. She highlighted the need for diverse role models, the fact that you can’t be what you can’t see and how we all have the power to motivate others. As she succinctly put it: ‘No matter what you achieve, the journey doesn’t stop. How you can make an impact? How can you reach those people who haven’t got there yet? If you have it in your heart, you can always achieve it.’

When you’re part of a trailblazing team of people who really want to change things, everything is possible.         

Future faces of Technology

To round off the afternoon, we held a very special awards ceremony. Each WFD partner nominated their ‘Graduate of the Year’ - a hard decision given there were so many deserving candidates in the room. However, this incredible group of Trailblazers have gone above and beyond, and are ones to watch - we know you'll be seeing their names again in the future! Please add your own Trailheart-ful congratulations to:

Daniel Bachvarov (Grayce); Chloe Nti (LDN Apprenticeships); Ridwan Hussain (QA/Accenture); Ozge Oz (RefugeeForce); Sergiu Ionescu (Revolent); Gemma Munsey (Supermums)

Overall, what did we learn from the event? That there is incredible power in connecting and being together. That the future of digital talent development is bright. That there are always opportunities to be grateful, no matter what the circumstances. And that when you’re part of a trailblazing team of people who really want to change things, everything is possible.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put together this very special afternoon, to our WFD partners who are tirelessly enthusiastic and supportive, and to our incredible speakers who were a joy to listen to. We're so grateful to you all.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a Next Gen Trailblazer - or indeed employing one - please contact our UK WFD partners directly. LinkedIn pages are above, website links below:

Grayce; LDN Apprenticeships; QA; RefugeeForce; Revolent; Supermums