The powerful skills potential of the under-represented

Twenty years ago I had the opportunity to create a training school where we would select people with the greatest potential and develop their hard and human skills to be able to not only pass an interview but excel in their careers. We had no bias to someone’s background, nationality, ethnicity or age and as a result we ended up training and placing phenomenal humans from an incredibly diverse background. These included migrants, refugees, rural dwellers, people with disabilities, young people just starting out and older people not ready to retire but looking to transfer their skills to new industries.?

I don’t think I will ever forget (Bob - not his real name) from Sierra Leone who had escaped a civil war within an inch of his life to make it to Ireland. He still had the scar on his cheek and despite all the trauma he had experienced he had a brightness to his eyes and hopes that could not be denied. Bob had been in the country for nearly a year and had submitted over 1,200 applications for jobs that he had natural skills for but never got called for an interview.?

Bob from day one of the training stood out as not only smart but had next level cognitive abilities and strong emotional intelligence. As the days passed Bob’s confidence tripled and by the time he had completed the coaching and assessments both written and role play he was ready for the opportunities that lay ahead. You see Bob scored 92% and at that time our employer partners would get excited about anyone above 80%. Bob also was a natural communicator, great listener and very convincing so with the support of psychometrics it was clear he would do very well in inside sales for a product he was passionate about. Bob went on to interview with a major technology company, get the job and really excel in his onboarding. There was no surprise to hear that Bob went on to be one of the fastest promotions to Team Leader, Manager and today he is a Director.?

I share this story because there are 1.8 Billion “Bobs” in the world of working age not working. There is still too much bias in processes to identify future stars and not enough support to guide people whatever their situation might be. Abodoo derives from the belief that everyone deserves democratised access to learning and opportunities “do” and ultimately a home “abode”.?

We power companies, universities and governments with a skills first platform that supports inclusive learning, guidance and opportunity matching for their employees, students, refugees, rural dwellers, people with disabilities, and the unemployed.?

Today in abodoo we have replaced the CV with the Skills Passport, the one generic course with up to 100k courses in a personalised L&D journey experience to the desired career for every individual. We have removed the inaccurate and old style candidate to job matching with a sophisticated skills first match that is fast and anonymised to greater support inclusivity and diversity. Skills software and AI have advanced a lot of the process but fundamentally the mission is the same. To support the under-represented in accessing inclusive learning and opportunities but now we can do it at scale globally and through real time skills mapping show our partners the impact they are having on bridging the skills gaps with people perhaps in the past were overlooked.?

So whether you are leading a team, providing education or trying to tackle unemployment it is worth really evaluating how the under-represented are getting equal learning and working opportunities.?

Here are 3 questions you can ask yourself:

1. How can you ensure that every individual has access to personalised learning and development that will support their career goals whether they are an employee, student and or unemployed?
2. How can you enable inclusive skills first matching so that you eliminate bias in promotion, redeployment, recruitment and hiring?
3. How can you provide the real time skills data across the under-represented to demonstrate equal access to learning and opportunities to build the case for future investment?

There are some incredible upsides to taking a greater consideration that everyone is supported.?

1. Reverse skills shortages: Investing in the under-represented can transform your skills pipeline in the medium to long term and really transform lives.
2. Enhanced innovation: When teams are composed of individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, they bring a wider range of ideas and insights. This diversity fosters creativity and innovation, as different viewpoints challenge the status quo and lead to more robust problem-solving approaches.
3. Broader skills pool: By actively seeking under-represented individuals, organisations tap into a larger talent pool that may have been overlooked in the past. This expanded access to talent allows companies to attract and retain skilled professionals from diverse backgrounds, which can ultimately enhance their competitiveness in the market.
4. Improved decision-making: Diverse teams bring a variety of perspectives to the decision-making process.?
5. Increased people engagement: Building an inclusive work or learning environment where under-represented individuals feel valued and supported fosters a sense of belonging. This, in turn, leads to higher levels of employee engagement, job satisfaction, and morale.?
6. Better customer understanding: Diverse teams can better understand and cater to the needs of a diverse customer base. By reflecting the demographics of their target audience, organisations gain valuable insights into different cultural preferences, consumer behaviours, and market trends. This understanding can drive more effective marketing strategies, product development, and customer service.
7. Positive reputation: Embracing diversity and inclusion can significantly enhance an organisation's reputation and brand image. By actively hiring and promoting under-represented individuals, organisations demonstrate their commitment to equality and diversity, which can attract customers, investors, and top talent who align with these values.

There is an incredible powerful skills potential of the under-represented that can be untapped if the culture, technology and passion is there to do so. By making equal opportunities, fair treatment and inclusive practices available throughout the entire student, unemployed to employee life cycle encompassing recruitment, learning and career development we will witness more and more Bobs thrive. That’s what gets me up in the morning!

By Vanessa Wainwright

Founder Abodoo - transforming future learning and lives

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