Key Global Evidence: Progression
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Progression addresses a lack of communication between employer and employee. It highlights the paucity of knowledge among potential/present members of the workforce as to what skills they need when entering the market as well as how best to guide their subsequent professional development.
Recruitment Processes Fail Employers
Staff recruitment must change as the value of generic skills and attributes increases and workforces become more mobile. One of the key problems is that businesses find it difficult to assess the level of a job applicant's transferable qualities. In part, this is due to a lack of qualifications that teach and assess these qualities effectively. There are also outdated recruitment methodologies.
One of the most valuable skills for new recruits is the ability to work in a team but very few businesses have any idea of how to assess this quality during an interview. The most common approach is to ask an individual directly about teamwork but this isn't proof of the practical application of teamwork.
Some organisations - in particular, larger businesses at the top of their profession - have developed more sophisticated practical interview procedures that allow them to get a much fuller picture of the characteristics and traits an individual would bring to a role. But these examples are unfortunately the exception.
If organisations are to make the most of the talent that exists, they must develop better ways of understanding and assessing the qualities a candidate holds.
In-work Progression Is Not Effective
Employers are not currently providing their employees with effective mechanisms to map their job progression, and this is having a negative impact on professional education choices.
There is not enough formally recognised professional development planning in businesses, and employees sometimes feel that they are being left to identify educational options by themselves. Professional education in work is struggling to match the aspirations of employers and employees. A more considered learning framework, supported by better assessment methodologies, may significantly increase the relevance and impact of professional education activity.
Learners Are Misinformed
Learners often make poor choices around educational progression, partly due to a disconnection between education and industry.
There are certain areas of study that are hugely oversubscribed, leaving too many qualified individuals fighting for a small number of jobs. Also, learners might pursue what they believe to be a high-potential educational pathway, only to discover that the qualification has little value in the labour market. The value of specific qualifications can often be related to the issue of relevance. But, while employers may know how relevant a specific qualification is, learners often do not. There can be a distinct lack of applicable knowledge available to them when they start work.
There should be better general guidance for prospective employees, including guidance on the knowledge, skills and behaviours that should be developed. There should also be more specific advice within certain sectors about the quality and relevance of the qualifications that are on offer.
