Dive Brief:
- A small group of large companies are banding together to create a “finishing school” type program to push workers the extra mile they need to become employable, The Wall Street Journal reports. Capital One, SAP and DaVita Inc. are just some of the employers that are hiring people to attend bootcamp-style training programs to enhance their skill sets and employment opportunities.
- Employees who participated in the bootcamps learn coding, patient care, communication skills and more. The training “stints” can last from six weeks to one year, during which employees are paid. Following completion, they begin their career as a software developer, project manager or nurse.
- The programs address the comparable “last mile hurdle” in supply chains — crossing the final mile to deliver goods to market.
Dive Insight:
For some employers, the ability to cross the line from education to application is key. Another benefit may be loyalty. Although most don’t ask for a time commitment, employees are motivated to stick with the company that invested in their future.
The growth of these academy-type training programs may have begun with the skills-gap, but employers are finding many more benefits than widening candidate choices. Many have hired new graduates at higher rates without much success in transferring those employees to their new roles. Hiring from academies typically represents a lower investment in the new hire, reducing risk if they aren’t a good match.
Other forms of upskilling include apprenticeships, which may have received a boost due to a recent announcement from the U.S. Department of Labor.
