Dive Brief:

• Jolt, a career development startup, is foregoing perks and big salaries to steer workers, largely tech industry millennials, into the right careers, Business Insider reports. Through its development program (called a "chartership"), Jolt employees work at the firm for two years before moving on to their next role, be it a dream job or a promotion within Jolt.
• The philosophy behind Jolt, led by CEO Roei Deutsch, is that workers aren't looking for an employer they want to stay with indefinitely but, instead, want to learn as much as they can to choose a career and move on to their next opportunity with their goals in mind.
• Jolt connects workers who want to be monitored or trained by experts in a particular field. Business Insider said Jolt initially sold its services to corporations, but it found that workers didn't like training sessions; client employees were more interested in training for the jobs they wanted rather that the jobs they currently held.

Dive Insight:

Jolt's story is exemplary of what companies the world over have discovered about younger employees: having perks for the sake of perks doesn't cut to the core of what millennials (or any generation) want from their employer.

Career development is one of, if not the most, valuable thing a workplace can provide for its workers. In a labor market that sees many younger workers forgoing steady tenures in favor of short-term gigs, it's absolutely imperative to ensure that learning is not just mandatory, but also exploratory.

There are plenty of innovative examples at which to look, including mentorship via "power pairs" and on-demand learning sessions that have candidates interacting with training via their preferred mobile device. Training in soft skills development, including areas like leadership and group communication, is just as valuable as knowing how to code.

Consider, also, the use of gamification and similar tactics to make career development stand out from day-to-day tasks. Including small, byte-sized gaming elements can add a wealth of value for employees. Particularly for socially-centered training, rewards can be incorporated to create an extra sense of accomplishment.