Corporate Learning and Development News
- According to a recent study from RedThread, only 39% of workers believe their company conducts “fair and consistent” evaluation (down from 48% in 2021) despite organizations using more tools to do so than in previous years. At the same time, less than half (46%) of employees reported that their company encouraged them to upskill, a 7-point decline compared to 2021. [MIT Sloan Management Review]
- However, while employees say they aren’t being encouraged to upskill, CHROs report the opposite. In a Harvard survey of CHROs from over 1,200 U.S.-based organizations, 56% of respondents said their organization is implementing reskilling initiatives right now (in addition to talent acquisition and skill-sourcing strategies), and 82% of those respondents plan to continue. Survey participants cited benefits related to recruitment and retention and promoting a culture of learning in the workplace. [Harvard Business Review]
Apprenticeships and Skills-First Talent Management
This section is authored by W/A’s Ivy Sullivan.
- The Department of Labor has awarded over $39 million in grants to 46 states and territories through State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants. Some of the largest awardees include Texas Workforce Commission ($2.8M), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity ($1.6M), and Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity ($1.4M).
- The Virginia Department of Education is utilizing their latest State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF2) grant to invest $6 Million in expanding teacher pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs in the state. This investment adds to their efforts to expand teacher talent pipelines. Last school year, 28 school divisions in the state launched registered teacher apprenticeship programs.
- Recognizing the potential value in apprenticeship to close persistent labor shortages for the electronics industry, the trade association IPC announced funding from JFF to cover all or part of the technical instruction for three of IPCs registered apprenticeship programs. The programs include an apprenticeship for an Electronics Assembler, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Fabricator and a PCB Design Engineer.
- In a similar investment, this week Intel launched its first registered apprenticeship program for manufacturing facility technicians in partnership with Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. The apprenticeship program is run in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), the SEMI Foundation, Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD) and Fresh Start Women’s Foundation. [Arizona Family]
Credentials, Hiring, and Applicant Tracking News
- According to Gallup, about one in two U.S. employees are actively seeking a new job; among those who found new jobs in 2024, 42% of them say their exit could have been prevented by their manager or company. A survey of over 700 professionals revealed that additional compensation (30%), more positive interactions with their manager (21%), and improved organization within their companies (13%) would have strongly influenced many workers to stay put.
- However, despite Gallup’s survey numbers, the quit rate in the U.S. has remained at 2.2% for the past seven months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A low quit rate generally indicates low turnover; but HR leaders like Senior Vice President and Chief Resource Officer of IAC Lauren Geer are cautious. Geer says that HR cannot “rest on its laurels,” but should instead take stock of current employees and prepare for future openings. [HR Dive]
- The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report for 2024, which measures economic gender inequality around the world, notes that the number of women hired for senior corporate roles has been dropping steadily since 2022. While women represent 42% of the global workforce, only 36% of people hired in leadership positions this year were women (down from 37% in 2022). [HR Brew]
Future of Work and General HR News
- Three in ten jobs posted online do not exist, according to a recent ResumeBuilder survey. A survey of nearly 700 hiring managers found that nearly 40% said their company had posted a listing for a so-called “ghost job”— a position which did not exist or which the company did not intend to hire for. The given reasons for doing so vary, but participants believed that fake postings boosted revenue (68%), morale (65%), or productivity (77%) by improving company reputation or creating an illusion of company expansion. [Newsweek]
- An analysis released by Indeed Hiring Labs reveals that wage growth has stabilized at 3.1% for the last three months, in line with the average percentage before the pandemic. Wage growth has come down after reaching over 9% in 2022, a metric some economists interpret as an indication that inflation is stabilizing. [HR Dive]
Employer Partnerships/Company Innovation
- Amazon is partnering with the University of Hawai’i as part of its Amazon Career Choice program, which partners with local institutions to provide upskilling and training to Amazon hourly employees. Amazon will prepay tuition for participating students, who will then be eligible to earn degrees or certificates from participating University of Hawai’i institutions in a variety of fields. This partnership comes as Amazon seeks to invest $1.2 billion in upskilling over 300K of its employees by 2025.
- L&D platform Skillsoft has partnered with Microsoft to launch an AI upskilling program to educate professionals on daily use cases for Microsoft AI and Gen AI tools. Skillsoft’s AI Skill Accelerator will combine on demand courses, practice labs, and live coaching sessions that incorporate Microsoft’s suite of AI products.
- Coursera is launching a series of new generative AI upskilling courses, including courses on AI in marketing, software development, and change management, among other interest areas; the courses have been launched in partnership with institutions like the University of Colorado Boulder, UVA Darden, Vanderbilt, and the University of Michigan. Courses are available with a Coursera Plus subscription.
Startups, Innovation, and Investment News
- This week, Opportunity@Work announced that it received an unrestricted grant of $20 million from Yield Giving, the philanthropy founded by MacKenzie Scott. The funding will support Opportunity@Work’s mission to generate a $20 billion boost in annual earnings for the 70 million American workers who are STARs – workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes, such as on-the-job experience, military service, or training programs rather than a bachelor’s degree program.
- WorkerHero, a Munich-based AI technology startup, raised €4M in a Series A funding round led by Mediahuis with participation from 10X Founders and Bonsai partners. WorkerHero is expected to use this funding to branch out into new industries to help bridge AI skills gaps. [10 Silicon Canals]
Macroeconomic Trends and Public Policy
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) took effect last month after a federal judge in Arkansas dismissed a lawsuit challenging it. Under PWFA, employers with 15 or more employees are required to provide “reasonable accommodations” for workers who are pregnant, have given birth, or are experiencing a related medical condition. The rule states that abortion is covered under such medical conditions, drawing scrutiny from Republican attorneys and some Catholic organizations who sought exemption, which was granted through a preliminary injunction. [HR Brew]
Other Reading
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Annual Time Use Survey, working from home is up for the first time since the pandemic: 35% of workers did some or all of their work at home in 2023 (from 34% in 2022). While this is not a considerable increase, the data reveals that work from home rates are stable despite calls for return to office, suggesting a “new professional reality.” [Fortune, subscription model]
This week’s edition of “New Skills, Talent, and Development” was drafted by Zoe Almeida and
Ivy Sullivan
and edited by
Julia Pasette-Seamon
and
Erica Price Burns
