A New Generation of Leaders.

As the baby boomers begin to retire and leave the workforce, the millennial generation is steadily beginning to be promoted in to supervisory and management positions. Although many workers with more seniority seem to think otherwise, this is a good thing!

In 2015 Millennials surpassed Generation X as the largest generation in the U.S. labor force. According to Pew Research Center, more than one-in-three American workers today are Millennials (adults ages 18 to 34). This milestone occurred in the first quarter of 2015, as the 53.5 million-strong millennial workforce has risen rapidly.

Millennials bring forth a new set of skills, values and expectations to the ever-growing workforce.  They are generally thought to be well educated and technologically savvy. Never before has there been a generation of workers that has grown in to their positions with as much access to knowledge and information as the millennial generation.

Even with the knowledge and skills, many members of the millennial generation still have major obstacles to overcome. The biggest issues facing Millennials being considered for a workplace promotion revolve around their possible lack of readiness for the position. Although many Millennials are believed to have the knowledge and expertise needed to do a good job, many senior workers still believe this new and upcoming generation lacks the skill sets needed to supervise and manage.

To better prepare Millennials for this upcoming challenge, we here at Bama At Work have decided to provide a few tips for our rising generation.

1. Attend Conferences

 Conferences allow you to network with influential people in your industry. They also provide an opportunity to learn more about the field you work in. Attend presentations that allow you to engage in topics that you may not be personally familiar with and allow you to learn from some of the brightest minds in your industry. Try to think of attending a conference as a small part of advancing the ultimate goal of your organization.

2. Continue Your Education

 Continuing your education not only benefits you, but also benefits your employer. People who upgrade their work skills and knowledge not only keep up with the latest technologies and business techniques, additional training helps you climb the corporate ladder and to realize additional career goals.

3. Get Certified

Once you learn your industry and become familiar with the “ins and outs” of your field, it is time for you to prove it. Certifications demonstrate expertise in specialized areas and provide assurance to employers that an employee has the skill set needed to perform the required duties. Certificate programs such as the Management Certificate Program for Supervisors at The University of Alabama help prepare individuals to take on a management role while developing an efficient leadership style. These types of certificate programs not only give you the leg up on your competition, but they also show employers that you are ready to advance in your career.

As Millennials take over the workforce, it is important that they be properly equipped to lead and grow. Through continuous learning and training, the millennial generation is bound to be one of the most successful generations the workforce has seen.

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Article by Kevin Lake, Communications Specialist for The University of Alabama College of Continuing Studies. Kevin also  currently serves as the Vice President of Communications for the Public Relations Council of Alabama West Alabama division.

How to Close the Millennials Skill Gap?

It is an accepted fact that Millennials are now taking over the workplace and are becoming the generation of majority in the workforce. This new generation of workers is more educated than all others before them. According to the October 2014 White House Council for Economic Advisors Report, 47 percent of Millennials graduated with Associate’s, Bachelor’s or graduate degrees.  But has the education they’ve received granted them the skills to be efficient on the job? According to a study published by Deloitte, only 28 percent of Millennials feel that their organizations are taking full advantage of their skill set. When asked to estimate the contribution that the skills they acquired during their education made in achieving their company’s objectives, the average answer is 37 percent. This means that two-thirds of the skills used to accomplish tasks in their current organizations were acquired on the job or through training.

In an ever-changing business environment, it is difficult for traditional educational institutions to provide skills that will be applicable on the job. Techniques and technology are changing every day, and what is the norm one day will be obsolete the next. The result of this phenomenon is a growing focus on soft skills from higher education organizations. Flexibility and adaptability to the environment are now the keystones of many degrees. While this focus prepares Millennials for a changing environment, a gap is created between what they learned in class and the real-world tasks asked of them in the field.

It is up to the employer to bring the new recruits up to speed on the skills needed by their particular organization. With the predicted job gap left by retiring Baby Boomers, training will become a generalized practice for employers.  The demand for custom training contracts for the workforce and individualized courses will increase as Boomers retire and Millennials fill their positions. Here is an opportunity for higher education institutions to provide a solution to close the skill gap created by traditional higher education. Furthermore, it will allow these organizations to reach a population that doesn’t possess a degree, but requires specialized skills. Here at The University of Alabama, we offer tailored training for organizations trying to close this skill gap and improve the productivity of their workforce. Visit our Bama At Work for more information about how Bama At Work can provide your workforce with the skills it needs.

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Article by Guillaume Slama, Internet Communication Specialist for Bama At Work, Professional Development & Conference Services, The University of Alabama.

Can You Train Millennials?

Millennial is becoming the main trendy word at the beginning of this year. This subject is getting more and more attention as the people included in this generation are becoming active members of society. The name Millennial describes members of the generation born between the early 1980s and the early 2000’s. This subject is getting a lot more traction in the media as the Millennials became the largest generation in the United States, representing roughly one-third of the total population. While some members of this generation are still continuing their education in either high school or college, many of them are now beginning their careers. According to research conducted by Psychology Today, “Seventy-five percent of the world’s employees today are young people (i.e., Millennials)” and this situation is raising new challenges in the corporate world.

Beyond the fact that this generation is now representing the majority of the workforce, the key factor to understand this new generation of workers is the way they got through school and the world in which they have grown up. This is the first generation to have access to the Internet during their formative years. They have seen the world change; they experienced the revolution of information technologies at the time that they were developing their skills and knowledge.  According to whitehouse.gov “Millennials are more connected to technology than previous generations and a quarter of Millennials believe that their relationship to technology is what makes their generation unique.” Many companies have recognized the need for technology and have begun turning to members of this generation to help stay current.

Even if this generation is facing some pull back from senior executives when it comes to new ideas, businesses understood really fast that hiring Millennials would be the only way for them to be able to market to this very generation. But this generation raises a new challenge to the academic world as a matter of professional development. The employees of this generation are bringing new knowledge and new skills to the table. But what is the kind of training that these millennials are looking for?   It will be capital for professional development providers to understand the new needs of Millennials as a matter of training. Cutting edge training such as digital advertising, social media marketing, search engine optimization, and app developer will be among the list of skills that this new generation of workers will be looking for. Another path to explore is entrepreneurship training, given the fact that more than 80% of the Millennials surveyed by Elance-oDesk declared that they were considering leaving their job. The way of providing training will also change. There is a great chance that this generation that grew up with the Internet, will be looking for online training.

While there are still many challenges to be met, no other generation has been better equipped or had more opportunities than the upcoming Millennials. They are skilled with technology, determined and more educated than any previous generation. While Millennials are still in the early stages of joining the workforce, they have the potential to make a lasting impact on the economy for years to come, with the right training. At Bama At Work, we are embracing this change and we keep on improving our classes every day in order to provide the most up-to-date training to every generation.

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Article by Kevin Lake, Communications Specialist for The University of Alabama College of Continuing Studies. Kevin also  currently serves as the Vice President of Communications for the Public Relations Council of Alabama West Alabama division.