You are here

  1. Home
  2. Tapping into ambition: Rethinking how we attract, retain, and invest in workforce talent

Tapping into ambition: Rethinking how we attract, retain, and invest in workforce talent

Organisations today must rethink how they attract, retain and invest with talent or risk losing their best people. By tapping into ambition businesses have a unique opportunity to stand out among competitors and offer progressive learning that harnesses the future aspirations of its workforce.

The Open University (OU) partnered in TrainingZone in early 2021 to publish a whitepaper on how innovative organisations such as Uber and Novartis were using learning as a benefit to invest in the personal ambitions of workers. The Uber partnership with the OU allows eligible drivers on its Uber Pro loyalty programme the opportunity to study towards a degree, with tuition paid by Uber. The benefit can also be passed to a family member.

 

Watch the sessions on demand

 

Exploring “learning as a benefit”

This innovative approach was explored further in a joint event hosted by the OU and TrainingZone. Hosted by renowned learning analyst Laura Overton and TrainingZone editor, Becky Norman, the event brought together L&D and HR leaders from innovative organisations using learning to attract, retain and invest with workforce talent – discussing each theme across three online sessions recorded on the OU campus in Milton Keynes.

Becky was on hand to share questions, poll results and comments from the virtual audience while Laura discussed learning strategies in-depth with the guests and explored the way they were leveraging learning as part of their offering to workers.

The sessions provided a range of different perspectives and insights to assist organisations in including learning as part of their offering to workers. As the OU’s Paul Hillan oberserved: “Organisations that have strong value propositions are the ones that win through in the end”.

Co-host Laura Overton has produced a highlights paper which is available on our Knowledge Hub.

Contact us to discuss learning as part of your benefits strategy

The hosts

Laura Overton, Industry Analyst
Becky Norman, Editor of TrainingZone and HRZone

Some key takeaways from the day:

  • Ambition means something different to everyone. Throughout the day, the words that people associate with “ambition” were varied. It highlights the importance of first understanding what an individual’s ambition is in order to tap into it.
  • Collaboration is key, across departments. L&D impacts every part of the business – it’s pivotal to organisational goals being reached.
  • Retention is part of the recruitment strategy. Especially when considering the recruitment costs of finding and onboarding new talent if the staff turnover is high.
  • We need to equip managers to show people what’s available and how they access it. “Build it and they will come” isn’t an effective L&D delivery strategy. It needs to be embedded in the culture and pro-actively offered.
  • Employer/employee relationships need to offer mutual benefit. Wages alone are not the only draw for people anymore – especially in a candidate-led market currently.
  • There’s more to learning than just gaining knowledge or skills. There’s the personal development benefit – including increased confidence and self-awareness, to unlock real potential.
  • We need to tap into people’s ambition at all levels of the business. Not just the highly motivated people that self-identify as ambitious. Learning applies to everyone – there can be apprentices at all levels.
  • Organisations can’t be afraid of losing talent once they have been trained. There is always that risk, but that talent will still be an advocate for your organisation, where they gained their skills.

The speakers

Mark Cameron OBE, CEO, The 5% Club
Sophie Carter, Public Policy UK & Ireland, Uber
Paul Hillan, Head of Organisational Learning, The Open University
Ettie McCormack, Learning & Performance Consultant, STEP Forward Solutions
Lt Cdr Norma Muyambo, Skills Policy, Ministry of Defence
Simon Tindall, Head of Skills & Innovation, Business Development Unit, The Open University

Watch the Tapping into ambition webinar sessions on demand

 

Webinar: ATTRACT - Rethinking how we retain workforce talent

A handful of progressive organisations have found a novel solution to the struggles of talent acquisition in a candidate-driven market. These pioneers have tapped into ambition through adopting a new approach called ‘learning as a benefit’ – and it is working.

Discover how these businesses are doing it in the first of three panel discussions on ‘Tapping into ambition’ – an on-demand hybrid event from The Open University in partnership with TrainingZone that explored and evolved the concept of learning as a benefit in the new world of work.

Through the lens of talent attraction, the panel discussion explored how to rethink:

  • Benefits beyond the conventional scope
  • Business reputation to support attraction, culture and engagement 
  • Corporate social responsibility and L&D’s role in driving it

A big part of us working with The Open University is that Uber is a big proponent of flexibility. Our business is built on it – a two-way flexibility where drivers choose if, when, where and for how long they work. This matches with The Open University approach, where drivers can earn and learn flexibly, which is really a compelling offer.

Sophie Carter
Public Policy UK & Ireland, Uber

The speakers

Sophie Carter, Public Policy UK & Ireland, Uber
Simon Tindall, Head of Skills & Innovation, Business Development Unit, The Open University

Watch the webinar on demand now

Back to webinar menu

 

Webinar: RETAIN - Rethinking how we retain workforce talent

A few pioneering businesses have entered into new territory that has reaped great results for worker retention. These organisations have tapped into ambition through adopting ‘learning as a benefit’ and seeing improvements in worker loyalty, wellbeing, inclusion and social mobility.

Learn how you can evolve your retention strategy in the second of three panel discussions on ‘Tapping into ambition’ – an on-demand hybrid event from The Open University in partnership with TrainingZone that explored and evolved the concept of learning as a benefit in the new world of work.

Bringing together the practices of modern people professionals, this panel discussion explored how to rethink:

  • Learning – through progressive models that extend L&D opportunities
  • Inclusion – through supporting and enabling all workers across the ecosystem
  • Benefits – through moving beyond traditional benefits packages

We should be looking at retention as part of your recruitment strategy. It’s not done is isolation or a siloed activity. We should be thinking in terms of re-recruiting every day. That’s part of your retention and ongoing engagement. Re-recruiting every day is keeping people engaged, retained and valued. You re-recruit everyday otherwise somebody else will be recruiting them.

Ettie McCormack
Learning & Performance Consultant

The speakers

Paul Hillan, Head of Organisational Learning, The Open University
Ettie McCormack, Learning & Performance Consultant, STEP Forward Solutions

Watch the webinar on demand now

Back to webinar menu

 

Webinar: INVEST - Rethinking how we invest in workforce talent

A old-hat learning is failing to support the aspirations people have for their careers, hobbies, work-life blend and families. How can organisations move past the conventional and tap into people’s diverse ambitions in a way that supports business performance? Thinking outside the traditional L&D box, a handful of businesses have tapped into ambition by encouraging development in skills beyond that which the business requires, through adopting the novel approach of ‘learning as a benefit’.

Take inspiration from these organisations in the last of three panel discussions on ‘Tapping into ambition’ – an on-demand hybrid event from The Open University in partnership with TrainingZone that explored and evolved the concept of learning as a benefit in the new world of work.

Through the lens of mutual commitment, this panel discussion explored:

  • The business case – how to secure senior buy-in and obtain financial investment
  • Worker loyalty and its financial benefits
  • How learning as a benefit impacts the business

In the post-pandemic and post-Brexit world the skills landscape has changed significantly. Organisations need to take a long-term view. It’s not about doing it when there’s a problem, it’s about having a foresight.

Mark Cameron OBE
CEO, The 5% Club

The speakers

Lt Cdr Norma Muyambo, Skills Policy, Ministry of Defence
Mark Cameron OBE, CEO, The 5% Club

Watch the webinar on demand now

Back to webinar menu

 

Event summary from Laura Overton and Simon Tindall

Contact us to discuss learning as part of your benefits strategy

Back to top