Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet by Michelle R. Weise

Author:Michelle R. Weise [Weise, Michelle R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: @minified
ISBN: 9781119597520
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2020-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

Career Entry and Advancement Supports

In the limbo of navigating a job transition, we might think that the hardest part is landing a good job. Indeed, when a working learner is stuck in a bad job, access to a better opportunity seems like the Holy Grail. But wraparound supports can't stop at job attainment, because once on the job, new hires can find it difficult to navigate their new work environment.

This is true for any new hire, but it is especially true for adults who have had limited employment experience and come from more disadvantaged backgrounds. Even being equipped with all of the right technical skills doesn't ensure success. Given their past work and social experiences, new hires are more at risk of leaving a job when they have a setback. They may also succeed in their first position but find themselves stuck and unable to advance to more secure and better-paid career opportunities.

There is growing evidence that postplacement supports can play a major role in helping new hires from the most vulnerable learner populations acclimate to workplace culture.18 Continued wraparound services can empower new hires to overcome early challenges and plan for their next steps within the firm or organization. Patrick Clancy of Philadelphia Works believes that “once employees successfully get to at least six months, they can be successful in both the industry and in the role.”19 Philadelphia Works therefore assigns a case manager to new hires for six months and tracks job retention six and 12 months out postemployment.

But, according to JobTrain's CEO Hathaway, it is very difficult for many organizations to staff and pay for postplacement support for learners after they complete the program. “That's where the real gold rings are, at this point,” Hathaway says. “We've got the model down in terms of high-result career education training and service provision. We've got that. It works really well. So, our leading edge is employer relations and long-term career advancement strategies.”20

Some employers understand and are concerned about the challenge of churn among new hires, especially working-class adults. For the employers we interviewed, a new hire's longevity in a job is a core measure of value. Jennifer Stredler, vice president for workforce at Salesforce.org, explains: “No employee is perfect; even with our best interns, they're going to have times when they struggle. There are times when small challenges or barriers may create doubt and uncertainty, causing them to question whether they belong. It's very high stakes.”21

Employers bear some of the burden of postplacement support of new hires—not just by managing but also by guiding their new employees. Robert Kress, managing director for security at Accenture, who helped grow the company's relationship with i.c.stars, a technology training program for low-income learners, describes this onus on the employer partner: “It is more challenging for some of the i.c.stars and similar folks who join us because they often need a little more mentoring or coaching and guidance just because of their backgrounds. They're typically not from families with business experience or don't have knowledge of what the expectations are to work in a Fortune 500 company, and it's different.

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