Dive Brief:

• Randstad North America is expanding TRANSCEND, its skills-training partnership program, to include three collaborations with Cisco, technology-focused nonprofit TechBridge and neighborhood revitalization nonprofit Urban Strategies, Inc., per an April 27 announcement.
• The staffing firm is providing professional development, mentoring, business case competitions and skills training to Cisco, which will use the materials in training individuals who do not have a four-year postsecondary degree. With TechBridge, Randstad is developing technology skills training courses. Its partnership with Urban Strategies, Inc. will focus on building the TRANSCEND program's talent pipeline.
• TRANSCEND's first cohort began initial courses in March, Randstad said. The company aims to add four more groups throughout the year and plans to reskill some 40,000 U.S. workers by the end of this year.

Dive Insight:

Upskilling continues to be a strong component of learning and development discussion amid the past year's events. A 2020 LinkedIn Learning survey of L&D professionals showed 51% planned to launch upskilling programs last year alone. More than one year later, employers are bringing their attention back to both upskilling and reskilling, particularly in the tech sector, according to a report last month by CompTIA.

In a January statement detailing the launch of the TRANSCEND program, Randstad said it was aiming not only to train individuals for fields like tech and financial services, but also build pathways for diverse talent into such industries. The company partnered with the National Urban League, a civil rights organization, on this aspect.

Partnerships can be key to ensuring the success of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the context of talent development programs, sources previously told HR Dive. However, employers may need to push program partners on the data they collect, including data on participation gaps among target groups.

Upskilling and development are even growing outside the context of traditional desk-based jobs. Retailer Dollar General, for example, recently announced it would implement "bite-sized" training sessions for employees including training on new technologies and products. Employers also may be increasingly accepting of training credentials that fall outside the context of a traditional degree, according to bootcamp and tech education firm Coding Dojo.