Jo Brianti’s Post

📢 69% of global talent professionals believe that Gen Z requires extra development when it comes to their ‘softer skills’, and only 51% of employed Gen Z believe school adequately prepared them for life at work. Soft skills include the things those in work often take for granted, including: 💠 Communication 💠 Teamwork 💠 Problem-solving 💠 Time Management 💠 Critical thinking 💠 Decision-making 💠 Organisational skills ✔️ Work experience placements are an impactful way to introduce Gen Z to the world of employment, ensuring they understand what’s expected of them and enhancing those much-needed softer skills. 💚 At Pluxee UK, we’re committed to helping the next generation of workers prepare to thrive in their chosen careers, and our last financial year saw a 400% increase in students completing their work experience with us! It’s National Careers Week, so we're exploring the importance of helping Gen Z make their mark and what work experience placements can do for those already in your business. #NCW2024 #AWorldOfOpportunities #ThePluxeeEffect

Your DEI or Affirmative Action strategies should be aimed at increasing opportunities to recruit, hire, develop, and support qualified candidates who are from marginalized and/or underrepresented communities. Not hiring grossly underqualified people because they are from a marginalized or underrepresented. Let me explain… Out of convenience organizations compromise their standard in the name of “diversity”, missing the mark and increasing the real probability of doing harm. Not only do we diminished the quality of our work but it does harm to the individuals involved. From the people that are negatively impacted by that persons performance, to the leaders/managers trying to improve said performance, to the credibility of a hiring manager, to the organizational culture because everyone sees when candidates are ill prepared and perceived to be the dreaded “diversity hire”, to the candidate who now has added career failures and the trauma of a firing, disciplinary actions, improvement plans etc. Even consider the harm done to qualified candidates that weren’t afforded the opportunity to showcase their knowledge, skills, and abilities. It’s just all bad. Literally everyone loses. Instead consider the steps needed to outreach, engage, and develop pipelines of talent from institutions, groups, or organizations you haven’t historically worked with. Consider casting a broader recruitment net like partnering with the over 700 Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) with an estimated 5 million students. Consider formalizing partnerships with advisors, building practicums, apprenticeships, and internships. Consider the hundreds of other institutions that have diverse students but not the formal designation of a MSI. Consider the work needed to plant seeds with communities you haven’t historically worked with to build early awareness and interest in your career fields.Consider being increasingly intentional with your efforts to mitigate the harms of past discrimination. Finally, be open to embracing a new way of being because growing beyond the limits of the status quo, increasing diversity, and pursuing organizational excellence will be inconvenient. #dei #affirmativeaction #diversity

⚡What do Gen Z and young people taking their first steps in early careers really want from inclusive employers? We found out: https://lnkd.in/eiFZkuvu We talked to young employees, HR experts and Gen Z on the streets against the backdrop of A Level Results Week 2023. The insights still have so much employers can take on board today! Focus areas: ➡ Transparency and cross-generational learning ➡ Safe spaces and youth voice ➡ Visibility and feeling seen ➡ Career progression, motivation and trust ➡ Avoiding assumptions THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: School, college and uni leavers want to see videos of other young people who match their age range as closely as possible. They want to see young people thriving in the workplace who were still in education the year before. Your organisation's early careers recruitment marketing may benefit updating on a regular basis to fully engage young candidates. We hope you enjoy the web series and blog. As a social enterprise with diversity at our core, we believe an inclusive approach to early careers recruitment is vital. It's food for thought in the run-up to Results Day 2024. We'd love to hear what you think! Huge thanks to contributors from Rider Levett Bucknall RLB, Reed, Clifford Chance and Imagen Insights. It was great to hear from their HR leaders and early careers colleagues. And thanks again to RLB for hosting a fabulous shoot at The Shard! #ResultsDay2024 #ResultsDay #recruitment #earlycareers #apprenticeships #youthvoice #diversity #inclusion

Unprofessional, unorganized and having poor communication skills are the top reasons. "After complaining that Gen Z grads are difficult to work with for the best part of two years, bosses are no longer all talk, no action—now they’re rapidly firing young workers who aren’t up to scratch just months after hiring them." What can we do to help solve this huge problem? Let's prepare students as early as possible by teaching them powerful essential skills, aka soft skills BEFORE they start the job, apprenticeship, or internship. How important do you feel these essential skills are for student success? #education #socialskills #communicationskills

So well-articulated, an essential reading for deeper insights.

Interesting (and sometimes contentiously lively) discussions spurred by this report from Forbes. In true “Which-came-first?” fashion, is this a result (or simply an “employment reset”) of… A. 2-3 years of isolationism due to the pandemic shutdown? B. Lack of work ethic by many youth focusing on school and sports and not having jobs in high school, college, etc.? C. Internet and Social Media UNsocializing this Generation Z population? D. Overprotective or enabling helicopter parenting “protecting” them from challenges? E. New Math? F. Employers with unreasonable expectations G. Lack of orientation, onboarding, and/or technical training? H. High schools and higher education not preparing basic skill sets in professional workplaces? I. All of the Above? J. None of the above, but now for so Interesting (and sometimes contentiously lively) discussions spurred by this report from Forbes. Regardless, it’s beneficial to encourage their experiencing mentorship or internships for students – – even if they don’t need it for college courses – – to prepare them for professional work environments. It provides realistic expectations of what to expect in their professional careers ahead.

We all have a responsibility here. In trying to find several solutions to a complex problem, it’s interesting how both sides are quick to blame each other. I’ve worked in workforce development and community engagement for 30 years. The only things that I’ve seen really work are strong mentorship and training & development that puts formal education into practice. >>> If you can work or participate in an internship, co-op, or apprenticeship while you go to school, DO IT! #earnwhileyoulearn >>> Be as intentional about building and connecting with professionals in the industry as you are with building your personal brand on social media. #labor #workforcedevelopment #mentorship #communityengagement #training

As older generations consider letting go of G-Z workers, it's essential to acknowledge the impact of the Covid shutdown on social skill development. Individuals in college during that period had lost the opportunity to enhance these skills and gain valuable experiences through internships in between semester breaks. Rather than resorting to termination, offering mentoring to address these deficiencies can be a more constructive approach.We owe that to future generations.

What everyone knows but leaves unsaid is that the only credential that truly matters when it comes to demonstrating employability is Real. Professional. Experience. 🤔 It’s why the majority of your resume and Linkedin profile are dedicated to it. 📜 It’s why even entry-level roles today ask for at least 3 years of experience. 3️⃣ But work experience just isn’t that easy to access. We want to fix that. 🔧 In addition to sharing HOW Extern is revolutionizing access to professional experience for everyone, I want to share WHY... with the 2nd part in a series on how we’re pioneering a new era of inclusive professional experience.  In it, I break down our mission and vision. ❤️A Personal Mission At Extern, we're driven by the belief that everyone, regardless of background, should have the opportunity to explore careers through real professional experiences - anywhere and at any time. 🚀 Why Extern? Why Now? We imagine a world where work experience is a universal form of education, eliminating barriers related to privilege and inequality. That’s why we've embarked on a mission that is personal to me: making real professional experience accessible to all, regardless of background. Here is "How to Help Anyone Discover and Launch their Career through Professional Experience" which is Part 2 of my series on "The Case for Inventing a New Form of Work Experience: the Externship" https://lnkd.in/ge2Enteu #CareerRevolution #InclusiveGrowth #ExternExperience #FutureOfWork #JoinTheMovement

A Missed Opportunity or a Moment to Reflect? Yesterday, my college team attended a Career Fest at an esteemed college to connect with HR professionals and invite companies for placements—a fantastic initiative! However, one aspect of the planning caught my attention and got me thinking deeply. It was suggested that no girls should be part of the visiting team, citing safety concerns and the possibility of uncomfortable stares. While I completely respect the intention of ensuring safety, it made me reflect on the bigger picture. Are we inadvertently limiting opportunities because of societal challenges? Instead of restricting participation, shouldn’t the focus be on fostering safe and inclusive environments for everyone? This isn’t about criticizing anyone but about sparking a conversation on how we can move towards a more inclusive and empowering approach for all. #CareerFest #InclusionMatters #EqualityInOpportunities #SafeWorkSpaces #BreakingBarriers #EmpowermentThroughAction #EqualGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #GenderEquality