By Aaron Michel
Employers are having some workforce issues. For starters, satisfied employees are looking for new jobs: a 2015 LinkedIn report found that 48 percent of active job seekers are actually satisfied with their current position, as are 76 percent of passive job seekers. Yet, they're still searching.
On top of that, ManpowerGroup's 2015 Talent Shortage Survey found 38 percent of employers worldwide are having difficulty finding enough workers with the right skills to fill open positions.
Fortunately, the solution to these issues is right in front of our faces: people who didn't complete four-year degrees.
That's not to say there's no longer value in a college education–there absolutely is. College has repeatedly been shown to lead to better job opportunities and higher pay. Plus, from an employer's perspective, a college degree serves as a stamp of approval and as an indicator of some level of training and competence.
But it's time for employers to realize that job seekers without four-year degrees also have something worthwhile to offer, especially as tuition costs continue to rise and more and more young adults head into the workforce straight out of high school or after two years of community college. In fact, 2015 research from EPI found that 66 percent of adults between the ages of 24-29 do not have a bachelor's or advanced degree; of adults between the ages of 17-24, 27.9 percent didn't pursue their education past high school.
Here are three ways employees with less education can help redefine today's workforce:
1. Increased workplace diversity.
Recent research from McKinsey & Company revealed that workplaces with more diversity do better than those with a less diverse workforce. Gender-diverse workplaces are 15 percent more likely to outperform a non-diverse office, and ethnically-diverse workplaces are 35 percent more likely to outperform.
The theory behind these statistics is that different backgrounds lead to different experiences and skill sets. A wider range of cultures, religions, races, and regions represented by a group of employees gives them more skills to draw from.
By giving employment preference to college graduates, organizations are drawing from a fairly homogeneous talent pool. According to the U.S. Census, 62 percent of the U.S. population is non-Hispanic white, as are 73 percent of college-degree holders.
Race isn't the only diversity factor that is limited among college graduates. When it comes to life experiences, attending college means following a more structured path that leads to similar experiences. By forgoing college, a young adult is faced with fewer career choices and a number of life paths which tend to look very different from those of college students, leading to a more varied background.
Hiring candidates without college degrees brings new perspectives to an organization, potentially making it more effective and innovative.
2. Reduced middle-skills gap.
A 2014 survey by Accenture found that 73 percent of organizations expect their need for middle-skills employees to increase over the next few years. However, 56 percent of businesses are already having trouble filling these types of jobs, which require more training than a high school diploma, but not a four-year college degree.
One solution to this workforce issue is to teach these less-educated workers the necessary middle-skills you need–and they want the training. A 2015 poll by Clark University found that the reason the majority of young adults without degrees decide to forgo college isn't because they aren't interested in more education. Of the respondents who didn't continue their education past high school, 68 percent said it was because of cost.
While employers can't control skyrocketing tuition costs, they can offer an alternative. Through on-the-job and other training, organizations get the middle-skilled employees they currently lack, and job seekers without a degree get the training they want.
3. Decreased job hopping.
The LinkedIn report “Why & How People Change Jobs” found 45 percent of employees left an old job because it lacked career advancement opportunities. Providing less educated employees with the chance to improve their skill set and climb a transparent ladder of advancement creates a powerful reason for them to stick around.
Today, clear career paths and training are more important than ever to employees who take less-traditional routes after high school. But don't think that, after training them, employees without a college degree will automatically jump ship for a higher salary. The aforementioned Clark University survey found that employees with a college education are the ones to worry about. Young adults with a degree are 16 percent more likely to consider salary the most important thing about their job, not a strong career path.
Organizations can no longer sit around and wait for their workplace issues to magically disappear. It's going to take a new perspective on what makes an employee an invaluable addition to the company. By recognizing the unique qualities employees without a four-year college degree have to offer, employers may find the solution to their problems was right there all along.
The post This Is How Employees Without College Degrees Can Improve the Workforce appeared first on AllBusiness.com
The post This Is How Employees Without College Degrees Can Improve the Workforce appeared first on AllBusiness.com.
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