Category: Employers

Still Hiring for a Cultural Fit? Or a Better Culture?

When you interview a candidate, you’re probably looking for not only the technical skills required for any given position, but also a sense that the person sitting across from you (or on the other end of that Zoom call) shares the attitudes, values and beliefs you associate with your organization … the so-called “cultural fit.” You might even give preference to candidates who’ve been referred to you by existing employees, a leading indicator that they’ll bring those same values to the table.

On the face of it, there’s nothing wrong with that approach. The hiring and onboarding processes represent a large investment of time and resources, and it’s only fitting that you should be comfortable with a new hire beyond their technical abilities.

But there’s a potential pitfall there as well: Hiring people who all think and behave in the same ways means you’ll continue to do things in the same ways, and for most companies that’s a recipe for being left behind.

Nearly every organization has a stated goal of improving diversity, but perhaps it’s time to start thinking beyond different boxes checked on an application and consider diversity of thought. Who are the applicants whose background gives them a different worldview than your existing team, and what can they bring to the table?

New ideas. Solutions your current team might be missing. Better ways of doing things that you’re missing due to the blinders of “our culture.” The world is changing around us, and if you’re still hiring for the same culture as you were a decade ago you’re missing a huge opportunity.

Think less about a cultural fit and more about a cultural add. Probe for creativity and new ways of thinking in your interview process, and then encourage that mindset in the workplace. There are many, many candidates out there ready to challenge your ways of thinking and make your organization better in the process.

Learn how apprenticeships can add new dimensions to your company culture: Contact Franklin Apprenticeships.

Calling all Companies Supporting the Work-From-Home Resurgence

What is your hiring strategy?

Carolina Milanes, principal analyst at Creative Strategies and founder of the Heart of Tech wrote a great commentary this week for Fast Company in response to the resurgence in remote work. Working from Home is great for diversity. Let’s keep it going sheds light on the work from home environment.  According to Milanes, “Remote work can open the door to talent pools that are more diverse in three key areas: gender, accessibility, and race.”

We would like to take that sage advice a step further by adding the concept of apprenticeship into the mix. Apprenticeships are slowly re-emerging to fill the gap of university education, especially in IT—including top remote positions such as Help Desk and Network Engineer.  These programs open opportunities for individuals to learn new skills, build amazing careers, and do work they truly care about. They also tap into a talent pool of diverse talent often discounted by traditional HR. Highly structured programs are supported with online learning, dedicated Success Coaches, and cloud-based e-portfolio systems built specifically to accelerate and monitor a remote learner’s ability to apply skills.  

The coronavirus has sent workers home, many of which will have no jobs to go back to.  What a great time to take advantage of an untapped talent pool ready and anxious to bring their skills to new heights.  

What is your hiring strategy?  Learn how apprenticeship can help leading companies create a compelling, diverse remote workforce strategy for 2020 and beyond. 

Contact Franklin Apprenticeships today and learn about our Digital IT Help Desk, Network Engineer, and AutoMOtive! Apprenticeship programs!

What Is All the Buzz About Onboarding Specialists?

Company demand for this position has grown 50% 

Burning Glass reports that demand for Onboarding Specialists is on the rise. This comes as no surprise.  The war for new and emerging talent is a bloody battle leaving many workforce development professionals defeated. According to Harvard Business Review, almost 33% of new hires start searching for a new job within six months and 23% of new employees leave their job within the first year. That is a large portion of company troops to lose in a year. 

As the demand for top talent intensifies, companies understand the strategic need to pay closer attention to tactical skills such as Onboarding.  If the point of entry is not well executed, new hires will be left to flounder and, eventually, walk off into the sunset.

Employee turnover is expensive. Organizations pay direct exit costs when an employee leaves, but they also incur additional costs to recruit and train new hires. Onboarding helps new hires to feel like they are part of the team,  understand how things are done and how their role contributes to the overall success of your business resulting in: 

• Reduced employee turnover 
• Increased productivity
• Defined roles  

If you have solid Onboarding practices, we commend you.  But, we have to ask: How long is your Onboarding process? For most companies, it is brief and often confused with “orientation.”    As HBR expert Ron Carruci points out, the first year is a new hire’s most vulnerable period.  The most successful companies adhere to a full-year program, and “focus on three key dimensions: the organizational, the technical, and the social. By using this integrated approach, they enable their employees to stay, and to thrive.”

Carruci further explains how organizational onboarding helps to teach them how things work and helps them assimilate.  Technical onboarding defines what good looks like and sets up early wins. And, finally, social onboarding builds a sense of community.

Franklin Apprenticeships follow this same extensive protocol when executing our apprenticeship programs.  Beginning with recruitment and progressing to the deployment of dedicated Success Coaches and eportfolio tools, our programs streamline structured onboarding processes for sustainable success.  That is one of the many reasons that 90% of apprentices stay on in their place of work after completing an apprenticeship.  

Curious about how to weave apprenticeship into your employee retention process?  Need help creating an onboarding process into your organization through apprenticeship?  

At Franklin Apprenticeships, we are here to help employers build their workforce, so companies can focus on building their business. We have the tools, technology, and network necessary to build, execute, and manage modern apprenticeship programs that fit unique organizational requirements.  

Contact Franklin Apprenticeships today and learn about our Digital IT Help Desk, Network Engineer, and AutoMOtive! Apprenticeship programs!

Help Desk and Network Security Talent Needs: Re-thinking Credentials or Potential When Hiring During Disruptive Times

The way we work and interact with each other is about to change forever. Last spring, Learning House and Future Workplace surveyed 600 human resource leaders about the nationwide skills gap crisis, the state of hiring processes, and the difficulties of identifying qualified candidates. Today, as job openings in critical IT support roles continue to rise during the new work-from-home reality, leaders need to be more creative about how they source and onboard talent.

Approximately 47 percent of leaders surveyed state that colleges have not properly prepared students for the working world. The survey also revealed that 35 percent of employers felt it was the responsibility of colleges and universities to make potential employees “work-ready”.

As employers work to support the “new normal” with volumes of dispersed teams, and educators work furiously to adjust programs, this brings to light a critical dilemma for hiring managers. Which should take precedent when hiring a candidate – their hard skills/degree/technical certifications (credentials), or their soft skills/ability to train (potential)?

Difficulties of Hiring for Credentials/Hard Skills

Tech Executives walked into 2020 understanding the resource shortages caused by the skills gap.  But, they did not walk into 2020 comprehending the increased need for critical support resources caused by the recent pandemic.  Technology and IT jobs are the hardest to fill, followed by management jobs. These positions correspond to what employers believe are the in-demand college majors — computer information systems, finance, and economics.

If employers hire for skills based on a degree, there is a chance that the new hire is only partially equipped to perform the job.

Difficulties of Hiring for Potential/Soft Skills

The top three soft skills currently sought out by employers: teamwork (38%), the ability to adapt to change (37%), and leadership (37%).   Today’s new normal sheds even more light on the importance of these 3 skills.

Challenges surmounting these gaps have been budget shortfalls and lack of available talent to train employees. This becomes even more problematic for companies unaccustomed to supporting fully dispersed teams.

As a result, employers are becoming more open to innovative ways to address their skills gap.

Alternative Methods to Address Hiring for Both Credentials and Potential 

Discovering creative ways to address the IT support skills gap during this disruptive time is crucial. Employers have to seriously consider hiring candidates without traditional four-year degrees – which may allow job seekers who need to redefine their career paths to search for alternative credentialing.

Registered apprenticeships offer an alternate model. While not always thought of in the U.S. as a natural option, registered apprenticeship programs can offer employers numerous benefits, such as structured training that includes dedicated program Success Coaches for each apprentice, streamlined recruitment practices, increased loyalty and retention, and enhanced performance.

At Franklin Apprenticeships, we are here to help employers build their workforce, so companies can focus on sustaining their business. We have the tools, technology, and network necessary to build, execute, and manage modern apprenticeship programs that fit unique organizational requirements.

Employers will need to continue thinking outside the box today to train and retain the workforce necessary to support the growing demand during this disruptive time.  Fortunately, employers now have more options to think outside the box and influence the direction of this ongoing conversation.

Are you interested in exploring apprenticeships as a talent acquisition strategy for your organization? Contact Franklin Apprenticeships to learn about the power of high quality, registered Help Desk and Network Engineer apprenticeship programs.

Your Next Great Hire Could Be Right Under Your Nose

Are you overlooking the skilled talent in your workforce?

If the answer is yes, you are not alone.  Only 28% of talent acquisition leaders today consider internal candidates when looking to fill vacancies.

Laura Randell, CEO of global recruitment strategy and HR technology consulting company PeopleMatters, explains, “In highly evolved organizations where succession planning and performance reviews happen regularly, and transparency of hiring practices is the norm, looking to internal candidates first is natural.”  Yet, the vast majority of small to midsize companies do not have a process for succession planning.  There is no way to know who might be the best person in the organization for the role, so companies look externally as a first step.  “The assumption is that they don’t exist, or it’s easier to just look outside,” Randell continues.

Overlooking talent within your own organization is risky.  Especially in today’s competitive environment.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, voluntary turnover levels are growing — a direct sign that employee loyalty is on the decline.

Yet, a Talent Trends study from LinkedIn shows that 25% of employees actually prefer to hang in there in hopes of a promotion.  And the report also shows that 24% of employees will consider a move if overlooked for a promotion.  In fact, career advancement is the most common reason employees jump ship.  Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that 95% of hiring is to fill existing positions — pointing to poor retention as the root cause.

Hiring is difficult and costly. Retention is on the decline.  Why, then, aren’t hiring managers seeing beyond the end of their noses when sniffing out talent?

Research has pointed to three major causes:

• Perceived Internal Skills Gap: Some hiring managers assume existing employees lack the exact skill match they’re hoping to find.  Or they are looking for newer skills that aren’t yet in evidence with their existing talent pool.

Skill needs evolve and emerge — especially in tech-focused roles.  It is difficult for workers to perform their day to day duties, much less exercise and stay current on advancing skills.

• Poor Planning: Some hiring managers are planning for attrition rather than training for retention.  Rather than investing in the existing workforce, companies fill the pipeline with poached talent.  With the assumption that new talent will bring the skills they crave.

Hiring organizations tend to overestimate the “portability” of skills and experience.  And that includes how effectively skills can be applied in new organizations.  New hires often underperform, as past success is often due to the companies for which they worked.  Internal hires bring organizational knowledge that helps them get up to speed in new roles faster.  Internal hiring also builds a healthy referral pipeline from happy employees, since people naturally tend to refer others when their own career has grown in the company.

• Panic Over Flight Risk: Some hiring managers fear that workers will leave and take their valuable training with them.  Or, some may fear that promoting from within will leave a difficult to fill gap in their own department.

Ask yourself the common sense question.  How much of their future will an employee invest with a company when the company makes them feel like a commodity not worth the investment?

What message are you sending to your workforce?  The wrong message comes at a high cost.  According to the Center for American Progress, it costs about 20% of an employee’s salary to replace that individual.  And, in the end, the cycle of replacing employees only winds up costing more than upskilling.

Apprenticeship Programs

Apprenticeship programs are a proven way to uncover untapped talent in your workforce and reduce the financial burden and risks of external hiring.  Consider not only what an internal candidate has done, but what he or she is capable of doing — with programs that identify crossover skills and structure training of new, advanced skills.

What about that entry-level gap left by a promoted worker?  Why not backfill that role with an entry-level apprentice! Mentors, Success Coaches, training programs, and all the necessary paperwork will already be in place for both incumbent and new talent.

Viola! You now have a growing workforce of loyal employees. All right under your nose.

If you’d like to learn more about the differences between new hires and apprentices, check this out:  A Candid Candidate Comparison: Who Would You Choose for Your Company?

To learn more about starting an apprenticeship program in your organization, contact us, here.

The “Chicken or Egg” Debate Among HR Leaders: Credentials or Potential When Hiring?

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Last spring, Learning House and Future Workplace surveyed 600 human resource leaders about the nationwide skills gap crisis, the state of hiring processes, and the difficulties of identifying qualified candidates. As job openings in the U.S. continue to rise, nearly half of the HR leaders questioned blame higher education for the skills gap. Approximately 47 percent of leaders surveyed state that colleges are not properly preparing students for the working world. The survey also reveals that 35 percent of employers feel it is the responsibility of colleges and universities to make potential employees “work-ready”.

However, higher education leaders believe they are taking the necessary steps to prepare students for a workplace that is constantly changing. With 85 percent of jobs that today’s students will perform in 2030 not even in existence yet, educational institutions are making strides to adapt programs that will address the disconnect between what students learn, and what students actually do in the workforce.

So as employers work to close the talent gap, and educators adjust programs, this brings to light a critical dilemma for hiring managers. No different than the age-old “chicken or egg” mystery, which should take precedent when hiring a candidate — their hard skills/degree/technical certifications (credentials), or their soft skills/ability to train (potential)?

Difficulties of Hiring for Credentials/Hard Skills

According to the survey, technology and IT jobs are the hardest to fill, followed by management jobs. These positions correspond to what employers believe are the in-demand college majors — computer information systems, finance, and economics. Again, this also reinforces the importance employers are placing on educational institutions to prepare the future job market.

Difficulties of Hiring for Potential/Soft Skills

The survey also identified the top three soft skills sought out by employers: teamwork (38 percent), the ability to adapt to change (37 percent), and leadership (37 percent).

However, the survey also highlights many challenges that exist to address the soft skills gap. Budget shortfalls and a lack of both external and internal talent being available to train employees top this surmounting list of setbacks. But, as a result, employers are becoming more open to innovative ways to address their skills gap.

Alternative Methods to Address Hiring for Both Credentials and Potential 

Discovering creative ways to address the skills gap has become a top priority among hiring managers. Employers are beginning to seriously consider hiring candidates without traditional four-year degrees based on the survey results — which may allow job seekers to search for alternative credentialing.

Registered apprenticeships offer an alternate model. While not always thought of in the U.S. as a natural option, registered apprenticeship programs can offer employers numerous benefits, such as structured training, streamlined recruitment practices, increased loyalty and retention, and enhanced performance. 

At Franklin Apprenticeships, we help employers build their workforce, so companies can focus on growing their business. We have the tools, technology, and network necessary to build, execute, and manage modern apprenticeship programs that fit specific organizational requirements. 

Employers will need to continue thinking outside the box today to train and retain the workforce of tomorrow. No different than the “chicken or egg” debate, the “credentials or potential” discussion remains as a top topic of interest among HR leaders.

Fortunately, employers now have more options to think outside the box, and influence the direction of this ongoing conversation.

Are you an employer hiring for IT Helpdesk and/or Network Engineer positions? Narrow your skills gap, fill your talent pipeline, and obtain assistance with company-specific training by partnering with Franklin Apprenticeships. Contact us today to learn more about our current digital apprenticeship programs: Franklin Digital and Missouri Digital.

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Gearing Up for a Shift in the Automotive Workforce

We live in a world inundated with technology, so it comes as no surprise that consumers seek similar digital access and advances integrated into their driving experience. These range from the obvious — navigation, entertainment, climate control, and hands-free access — to innovations in safety, performance, and diagnostics.

So much has changed within the automotive industry in such a short period of time. Repair bays — once filled with grease-covered tools and parts — now more closely resemble labs, complete with the advanced (and expensive) equipment needed to repair the increasingly complex array of components that power today’s vehicles.

These rapid advances force us to wonder: does the U.S. have enough qualified professionals ready to keep our automobiles running smoothly?

Labor Shortage

The simple answer is no: we don’t have anywhere near the numbers needed for a robust and specialized automotive workforce, either today or in the immediate future.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. will need 46,000 additional automotive service technicians by the year 2026 to keep up with industry needs. There are already as many as 75,000 automotive service technician job openings in any one year. Causes vary, from older workers aging out of the workforce to employees switching jobs to the creation of brand new positions.

Further, Donny Seyfer, Executive Officer of the National Automotive Training Task Force, notes that fewer high schools offer automotive shop programs, further diminishing the potential supply of technicians. And, even when such classes are available, he adds, there is often a disconnect between what they teach and what service departments need.

Attaining Relevant Skills

Assigning young students to tear down an engine or repair a transmission is a bad fit in an industry where the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) estimates that maintenance accounts for 70 percent of a technician’s work, Seyfer adds.

So, whether you are a new worker, or a seasoned worker making a career change, how can you quickly gain the real-world skills necessary to provide exceptional technical service? And, in an industry where the average automotive technician is 40 years old, with 19 years of experience, how can the existing workforce stay current as technology rapidly evolves?

The High Costs of Turnover

The National Automobile Dealers Association’s 2017 Dealership Workforce Study found that the annual turnover rate for the most skilled automotive technicians rose 2.1% in a single year. Some leave for different dealerships, others leave for different industries.

If jobs remain unfilled, losses accrue at an alarming rate: experts estimate that a typical automotive technician brings in an average of $1,000 per day. Consider what that means for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, and more. Suddenly filling current vacancies — and retaining current workers — becomes exponentially more critical to your bottom line.

The Road Forward

The road forward for the automotive industry is filled with both intense challenges and remarkable opportunities. A lack of skilled candidates for an increasing number of highly specialized positions calls for an innovative approach to crafting a brand new pipeline for finding, training, and keeping talented automotive service technicians.

Which is why Franklin Apprenticeships is partnering with the State of Missouri to offer Missouri AutoMOtive!, an ingenious solution for accelerating the growth so essential to making the State’s automotive sector thrive.

Modern apprenticeships create opportunities for both employers and employees, offering a fully developed framework for success as candidates earn while learning the very skills and knowledge needed to be a top-notch technician. For Dislocated Workers, in particular, such an approach allows them to hit the ground running: instead of incurring debt for programs that might get them ahead, they begin as paid workers eager to learn and grow into competitive positions that help them — and your business — get ahead.

With AutoMOtive!, Dislocated Workers from industries that have experienced layoffs and downsizing have an opportunity for a new career in the automotive industry, which includes ASE certification and other technical certifications, as well as a mentor and a peer-supported community. Further, program recruitment, placement, training, coaching, and certification costs are subsidized for participating employers.

Let us help you put your search for qualified automotive service technicians in first gear, ensuring your ability to keep everything about today’s technologically advanced vehicles — from music to guidance to safety — running smoothly. Contact us to learn more about Missouri AutoMOtive! today.

Solving Your Digital Workforce Crisis With An Innovative Approach

Solving Your Digital Workforce Crisis with an Innovative Approach  

Is your organization facing challenges finding, hiring, and retaining tech talent? Are you finding applicants with the skills and knowledge needed to support your IT help desk? And, are you identifying candidates with the talent and experience required to move your IT help desk or engineer networks forward?  All so critical to business success today?

The Perfect IT Help Desk Support, Data, and Security Storm

The challenges are real: in the ever-evolving world of technology, it’s hard for business support teams to find employees who can keep up, much less stay ahead. New applications, varied devices, network security, data storage, and maintenance – each piece integral to helping customers streamline operations, provide the necessary tools to be effective, and meet the expectations of savvy consumers. Who keeps it all running smoothly?

Trained Help Desk Technicians and Network Engineers are crucial to economic success across sectors – they keep the data flowing. Yet finding the right balance between hard and soft skills can be elusive. Qualified applicants are difficult to find, candidates lack the right experience, and successful employees unfortunately leave.

Global Talent Issues

It’s not just you. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the number of job openings in the U.S. rose to 7.5 million by the end of March. And according to 43% of employers, IT positions remain the most difficult to fill.

This makes perfect sense when you consider that there are ten open positions in the technology sector for every one graduate. Fierce competition for such limited resources results in key positions remaining unfilled, allowing digital infrastructures to degrade and decay, and technical support to lag.

Global Training Issues

Those unfilled positions cost more than time and productivity, they cost money – an average of $800,000 annually, according to CareerBuilder.

Why is it so difficult to find digital talent? Close to half of employers blame higher education for the widening skills gap, alleging that four-year institutions aren’t preparing enough work-ready candidates for available positions. And given that 54% of all U.S. jobs require more than a high-school diploma but less than a four-year degree for success, now is the time to consider innovative solutions.

Global Turnover Issues

Maintaining a digital workforce current on new trends and emerging technology isn’t only imperative for your business, it’s essential for worker retention. Over half of digitally talented employees are willing to change jobs to keep their skills from stagnating.

And, Americans are quitting their jobs at the fastest rate in seventeen years, seeking positions with higher pay, better benefits, or opportunities to get ahead. When you consider the cost of losing a worker can range from one-and-a-half to two times their annual salary, suddenly retaining talent and experience becomes a priority.

The Solution

A variety of factors play into the digital workforce crisis: a limited pool of exceptional candidates, a lack of critical training opportunities, and an inability to retain talented employees. The data points to a national issue with a stunning impact right down to the community level.

Fortunately, there’s a solution. Apprenticeships offer an innovative approach to finding, training, and retaining talented Help Desk Technicians and Network Engineers.

Apprenticeships provide a nimble, adaptive workforce fully prepared to excel within your organization. They’re the answer to the skilled labor shortage, the path to middle-skills recruitment, and the solution to attracting – and retaining – talent.

Franklin Apprenticeships offers employers, workforce development, job seekers, and educators with an innovative, modernized approach to solve the digital workforce crisis head-on. For instance, we are partnering with the State of Missouri to offer Missouri Digital, the State of Maryland, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to offer Franklin Digital, our apprenticeship programs built for Computer Help Desk and Network Engineer positions.

Let us help you to take the first step in keeping your data, communications, processes, and business flowing smoothly. Contact us today to learn more about the opportunities available through Missouri Digital and Franklin Digital.

Employers Discuss the Top Three Drivers of the U.S. Talent Shortage – And How to Change Direction

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Last year, ManpowerGroup released their 2018 Talent Shortage Survey discussing the Skills Revolution, and why employers should shift their focus from just in time hiring strategies to becoming the builders of talent for today and tomorrow.

In this survey, 61 percent of U.S. employers cited a lack of applicants, a lack of experience, and a lack of hard skills as the top three drivers for talent shortages within their respective organizations.

Fast forward almost a year later, and think about the Skills Revolution as it relates your organization.  Has any progress been made to decelerate these drivers, or is your talent crisis moving forward at full speed?  

Let’s examine each driver in more detail, and review what some of your peers are saying about taking charge and changing direction.

Driver #1: Lack of Applicants

Nearly one-third of employers say the main reason they can’t fill roles is a lack of applicants according to the survey.

A Korn Ferry Institute study from last year reiterates this sentiment – the biggest issue isn’t that robots are taking all the jobs, but rather that there aren’t enough humans to fill these positions. If this pattern continues, this talent shortage could equate to $8.5 trillion in unrealized annual revenues by 2030.

“Governments and organizations must make talent strategy a key priority and take steps now to educate, train, and upskill their existing workforces,” says Yannick Binvel, President of Korn Ferry’s Global Industrial Markets practice.

Driver #2: Lack of Experience

Approximately 21 percent of U.S. employers surveyed agree that candidates lack the necessary experience required within their organizations.

But, how is this possible when almost 22 million U.S. workers are considered “underemployed” – meaning they have a job that doesn’t put their experience, training, or education to work?

Scott Dobroski, an employer trends analyst at Glassdoor, says that while it’s a job-seeker’s market, data trends and employers have trouble finding “quality candidates who can tackle tomorrow’s business challenges in their respective kind of pool or lane.”

Driver #3: Lack of Hard Skills

14 percent of surveyed employers also note that applicants lack the hard skills they need.

But not all problems are caused by employers searching for candidates that can check every box, Dobroski adds. “We definitely think there is still a large disconnect between what academic universities have to offer to prepare students for the real world,” he comments.

In a 2018 HR Dive article, Jim Link, Chief Human Resources Officer at Randstad North America, stated that employers should “look beyond traditional training methods, like workshops, and think outside of the box to implement newer methods to deliver training on new skills or to strengthen existing skills.”

Changing Direction

ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO Jonas Prising mentioned that “for organizations, creating a culture of learnability so people are equipped and open to adapt is not just an operational imperative but must be a strategic priority.”

Companies like Walmart, CVS, and Starbucks have used new training programs to upskill entry-level workers and broaden each organization’s skill base, while businesses such as Schaeffler Group are investing in apprenticeships as a solution.

While not always thought of in the U.S. as a natural option, registered apprenticeship programs can offer employers numerous benefits, such as more structured training, streamlined recruitment practices, increased loyalty and retention, and enhanced performance.

Organizations must shift gears and safeguard against these talent crisis drivers. Employers will need to think outside the box to train and retain the workforce of the future as reinforced by many industry thought leaders. Now is the time to change direction, and not let the talent shortage change the direction of your organization’s prosperity and profitability.

The Skills Revolution is upon us – are you ready to respond? Contact Franklin Apprenticeships to learn more about the power of high quality, registered apprenticeship programs as your organization’s response to the skills shortage.

Also, find out how employers in Maryland, Missouri, and Pennsylvania can respond by engaging in our programs targeting technology apprenticeships. Click on the following program links for more details: Franklin Digital and Missouri Digital.

Need Auto Tech employees? Find out about Missouri’s program for employers to tap into a seasoned talent pool of displaced workers with AutoMOtive!  Program subsidies available for qualified applicants.

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Apprenticeships: The Answer to Your Organization’s Latest and Greatest Emerging Risk

Speed of innovation, increasing regulations, and the pace of digitalization all remain as top risks facing organizations. But what is the latest and greatest emerging risk to enter the board room that is here to stay? Staff shortages.

That’s right – you read this correctly. The top emerging risk facing organizations isn’t responding to cybersecurity threats, or addressing GDPR – it’s the talent gap.

The Talent Gap Is the New Top Risk   

According to Gartner, Inc.’s latest Emerging Risks Survey, global talent shortages now top the charts as the greatest emerging risk facing organizations today after surveying  137 senior executives in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Many leaders find themselves at a crossroad where they need to shift away from traditional external hiring strategies, and consider internal training efforts to mitigate supply and demand issues.

Apprenticeship Programs Offer a Risk Mitigation Strategy   

In Gartner’s press release about the survey, Matt Shinkman, Managing Vice President and Risk Practice Leader, stated that “a common denominator here is that addressing these top business challenges involves hiring new talent that is in incredibly short supply.”

But, what if you had the ability to train and retain your own ideal workforce?

Apprenticeship programs offer an alternative solution to the growing talent crisis. Apprentices can create a high-value alternative for employers to:

• Attract the best employees
• Reduce turnover
• Decrease training costs
• Increase productivity
• Ensure availability of skilled professionals
• Improve community and employee relations

Partnering to Reduce Risk and Build Your Talent Pipeline

The talent gap is a national crisis that threatens America’s competitive edge. Franklin Apprenticeships is a consulting firm that partners with businesses and economic and workforce development agencies to offer custom learning programs that solve workforce supply issues.

Founded by professionals in the U.S. and U.K., the Franklin Apprenticeships team is passionate about applying the timeless practice of apprenticeships to create new training and retention solutions for employers.

For instance, Franklin Apprenticeships is currently working with the State of Missouri, the State of Maryland, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on new apprenticeship programs to close the IT talent gap for employers – Missouri Digital and Franklin Digital. Missouri has also released AutoMOtive!, a program focused on developing Automotive Service Technician talent. 

With each program, the States offer tax benefits or subsidies to lighten the costs of training and services so employers can focus on growth without the worry of recruitment, training, and program development costs – a win-win situation for all involved.

Discover how our apprenticeships can benefit your organization by visiting each program’s dedicated web page: AutoMOtive!, Franklin Digital, and Missouri Digital.