Hi All
One of my friends from recruitment has raised a very interesting point. The conventional ways of recruiting a candidate for a job, would be to assess his/her work history, check the required grades, and conduct the necessary interviews. But the massive development of social media over the last few years, now means that a person's attitude, personality and many other traits can be judged very precisely, from his/her online activity.
Online behavioural studies are an evolving method of recruitment. There is, I am told, a very sophisticated process to measure people's potential in this way. And therein lies the potential for something very important: this method of recruitment could also be used to help NEETS.
As I have said before, I firmly believe that young people who are not in education or training (also known as 'NEETS'), can still be assessed and qualified according to their skill level. This will ensure that non-graduates to get the higher education they may have been denied. After all, people should not have to be taught what they already know. If a young person possesses a skill for which he or she does not yet have a grade, then that young person should be assessed and qualified to reflect his or her actual skill level. I myself have obtained a customer service and a music qualification through assessment, so it can definitely work.This will give them a fighting chance against their full time apprentice, and student counterparts.
The government could create a scheme, where special referrals can be made, by employers, teachers, parents; or an ‘Responsible Adult’, to offer a young person a free (full) assessment of his/her skills and abilities. This would be similar to the pre-screening process for apprenticeships: but it could be applied to any given skill: or even a full assessment of all the young person’s skills. Once a Formal Recommendation is made, an assessor could be appointed, to check the candidate’s progress. The assessor would determine what grades the candidate would qualify for; and if the candidate needs to sit an exam, what further training or preparation is needed for this. The candidate would then receive the grade(s) from the assessor, or be referred to sit the relevant exam.
Qualified assessment has been used in the past, but I believe that the full assessment of non-graduates, both in and out of work should be made universal. The way for us to ensure that they have good success, is by using the same qualifications system, as for apprentices. In this way, all young people, aged 16-24 should be offered a free full assessment of their existing skills and abilities.
Further: the attitude, personality and the psychological alignment could be assessed, of a young candidate not in education or training. A profile could then be made from this information, and it could be used, in much the same way as for candidates marked for top organisations, to gauge a candidate's exact potential.
I think this would go a long way, to helping non-graduates (especially NEETs) to overcome the social and financial barriers they may face, to securing a good career. The challenge will be how to integrate this into our society's institutions. A good place to start would be the job centre. A candidate's alignment potential could be assessed, as well as their potential for certificate qualifications. In fact, there are several key stages where this may be applied, as I suggested in another article:
• School leavers. 16 year olds and above who are going straight into full time work.
• Job seekers. As well as the normal courses offered to those seeking employment, a comprehensive assessment could be carried out on non-graduates, to give them the chance to qualify for key grades.
- In full time employment. If an employee’s line manager, or a student’s teacher can see that he or she possesses an ungraded skill, then a candidate in any profession should be referred for assessment.
• Long term unemployed. Full assessment should also be offered to anyone who has been actively looking for employment for more than a year.
• Registered disabled. Any non-graduates who consider themselves to have a handicap or disability, should be offered full assessment of their skills, to allow them to adjust fairly, and give them opportunities to find the work they want.
• Incarcerated or long term detained. All 16-24 year old non-graduates in care, detained, or incarcerated, could be fully assessed as part of their rehabilitation/treatment.
If qualified assessors, profilers and recruiters could be stationed in each of these situations, they could work in tandem, coordinating their efforts, to ensure that young candidates can be qualified according to their ability: and also, assessed by online interaction, according to their real potential. Once an employer sees a young person’s potential, a lot of things can happen. The candidate can be offered night classes; an apprenticeship; or further certificates, as part of his or her on-the job training.
There will of course, be some young people whose skills are average, and who are not particularly ambitious. They are happy with a job that pays the bills, as long as there are good friends and hobbies to take part in. But by offering all non-graduates a free full assessment, I believe that even the less talented candidates will be made happier. They will know they were given a real chance for something better, and will not be left wondering what might have been.
To the recruiters, assessors, and careers officers: I urge you to develop a new type of certificate qualification: to assess young candidates' professional alignment, from their online interaction, communications and other skills. This, and a full qualified assessment of their other skills, will ensure that all young people not in education or training get the chance for an education and a career.
We should try this.
Best Regards
James M
Founder
Hi All
ReplyDeleteI have been speaking to a member of one youth organisation, who has told me that the challenge they face to qualified assessment, is a lack of resources.
While I accept that it would cost a lot to assess every non-graduate, I still think there are ways to make qualified assessment cost effective.
For example, every job centre could have one full time assessor on site. When the careers officers or recruiters identify any ungraded skills that the young job seekers have, then each person could be referred to the assessor, to be checked and qualified. After all, these young people will have to undergo training courses at some point, so they might as well have access to assessment as part of the process.
Careers officers and recruiters are quite astute, and it is likely that they will notice certain ungraded skills that young candidates possess, from time to time: as will teachers. So the same process could be used at schools for school leavers and Sixth Formers (16-18 year olds).
There would only need to be one assessor per organisation. My employer's Learning Academy, for example, employs a dedicated team of assessors. There is only one team, but as they service the whole organisation, they are occupied full time, and their roles are quite justified to be cost effective.
In most cases, I think money could be saved, by integrating one qualified assessor into an existing team, to help young people. For example, social services departments could each employ one, to help the educational support given to young service users.The same could be done in young offenders institutions, youth hostels, and virtually any institution, where young people are catered for, full time.
By employing one assessor as part of their existing teams; and co-ordinating the assessor's work with recruiters, teachers, social workers, careers officers and care and support workers; then all young people's service providers, can help to make qualified assessment an integral, cost effective part of their operations.
I believe that qualified assessment is the way, and that we can find the resources to do it. Thank you once again, everyone, for supporting this idea.
Best Regards
James M
A further development has happened. The most obvious place to start with qualified assessment, is in the organisations where qualified assessors are already based. As I've found out, the policy at most organisations, is only to train and assess employees for the line of work they are in. But this does not allow employees - particularly non-graduates - to develop in new directions. To do this, they have to request training from their managers.
ReplyDeleteSo how about we encourage employers to consider offering non-graduate employees in full time work, the chance to be assessed and qualified on the job: but for their ungraded skills? For example, a non-graduate who works in a customer service role, but who has managerial skills could be offered a qualification through assessment in that area.
Of course, the downside, is that employers need incentives to do this. I see the problem: the assessors and careers officers are committed to helping employees get along the career paths they are on. A change in direction to earn new skills would take time, and money.
So what could happen is; the Government could award extra points to organisations for offering full or extra qualified assessment of non-graduate employees. This would earn an employer bonus points for their organisation's Investors In People status, or similar national scheme.
I honestly think that this measure would open a lot of doors for disadvantaged, low paid employees, who do not have the career paths available to them, nor the money to afford decent training courses.
And to all managers, recruiters and careers officers reading this: I urge you to consider assessing your non-graduate employees for extra skills. You will create a more productive workforce, and will save vital training resources for others.
Let's try this.
Following my article a few months ago, about qualified assessment for non-graduates, I have spoken to a number of youth organisations about this, and youth workers alike. As they have told me, there are certificate qualifications, which non-graduates can be awarded, but these are usually for general core skills (such as Teamwork). But from my background in HR, I know that - to be blunt - employers expect these core skills anyway, from all candidates who apply for a job.
ReplyDeleteWhat will impress the employers, are certificate qualifications for specific skill sets; for example, customer service, manual handling, etc. This will allow a candidate to fit into a specific niche that the employer wants them too. Again, it is not that non-graduates aren't given these certificate qualifications. But the problem is that the system relies on the initiative of each youth organisation or training provider.
For example, a school may recommend a group of young people, for training under a youth organization. The organisation's Outreach team may then assess the group, see where their skills lie, and accredit them a certificate qualification for a skill such as construction. And they may be introduced to contacts in the industry to find a good career. This is great for that particular group of young people: but what about the other young people in nearby schools, who could benefit just as much from the same opportunity?
That is why I think qualified assessment should be integrated proactively into every youth service, and made as freely available to non-graduates as a school education. This would ensure that every 16-24 year old service-user is given a free full assessment of his/her skills and abilities: and then directed to an assessor to be qualified for any ungraded skills. It should, in effect, be like a safety net, to make sure, that young people who did not get the chance for apprenticeships or higher education, are still able to prove themselves to future employers, by gaining certificate qualifications, that reflect their skills.
I am keen to discuss how we could make qualified assessment for young people, an integral part of all youth services.
You are welcome to visit our Forum page to discuss.
Best Regards
James M
Founder