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Creating a comprehensive graduate development program for your graduates is a step in the right direction. Whilst many organisations grapple with the concept of what a development program should look like, it is of great concern that a large proportion of organisations recruiting graduates do not have a structured development program.
We need to be careful not to confuse an induction program consisting of a senior manager welcome, diversity and OH&S training and a couple of networking session during the year as being a structured development program.
Why wouldn’t you have a graduate development program when 74% of graduates list graduate development as key factor in choosing an employer (Source: 2008 AAGE Survey).
The key questions that need to be asked?
- Is your development program tailored and designed to deliver developmental opportunities that address the competency needs of your graduates?
- Is your organisation conducting a program that you think has worked before?
- Are you delivering a program your graduates think they would like to do?
- Is success being measured over the development journey?
Whilst having a development program of any kind is better than none, having a program specifically tailored to the areas where your group of current graduates require development will deliver better, targeted results. There is no business sense or return on investment in throwing a dart at a list of development programs and hoping for the best!
Whilst the opinion of your new graduates is valued, do they really know what development they require? If you were to ask your graduates where they think they want further education they are likely to respond with the following:
| Technical skills specific to my career |
47% |
| Knowledge of business or industry |
40% |
| Business knowledge |
34% |
| Project management |
32% |
| Influencing and negotiation |
30% |
| People management |
25% |
| Knowledge of business etiquette |
23% |
| Relationship building skills |
20% |
| Written communication skills |
19% |
| IT skills |
19% |
| Time management |
19% |
| Analytical skills |
18% |
| Oral communication skills |
16% |
| Problem solving skills |
16% |
| Team working skills |
9% |
| Cross cultural skills |
5%
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(Source: The AAGE Development & Retention Survey 2009)
The most practical and cost effective way of tailoring a development program is to use the data you most likely already have. That is the assessment profiling data used in selecting your graduates such as personality profiling tools that are valid and reliable (e.g. OPQ, Saville or any other type you may use). By analysing individual and group data you are able to ensure that sure your development program hits the right mark. Analysing where, as a group and as individuals, the graduates have deficiencies means you will be able to design a specifically tailored development program to address their developmental needs. Furthermore the ongoing growth and development of your graduates can be measured over the course of their career and development journey.
When we take into account that graduates are made offers on average by June or July and this data is on hand, there is no reason why the developmental strategy cannot be targeted and in place before their January or February start dates.
Designing a program that specifically targets the required developmental areas translates to a group of graduates that can be fast-tracked and perform more effectively in the workplace. In addition the ability to strategically use such data to work closely with individual graduate managers to align graduate development, to create individual development plans and assist in performance discussions will further add value and improve the business case for such initiatives.
Using this methodology is similar to that performed for any best practice training needs analysis.
- Would your organisation roll out a leadership or talent program without first investigating what the real developmental requirements are?
(hopefully none of you answered yes – if you did, you need to call us!)
- A comprehensive training needs analysis can cost many tens of thousands of dollars to obtain similar quality data to that contained in the graduate assessment data you most likely already have. In our current economic environment, it is great news to be able to achieve this for a cost that has already been borne as part of the hiring process.
No matter what testing you do or what type of development program you are conducting, the key messages are:
- make sure your program is addressing the REAL and not the perceived developmental needs of your graduates.
- add real value to your business case for graduate development and the longer term fast-tracking of your future talent
At Fusion, we believe in this methodology so much, that we have invested a lot of time in mapping our 32 module development program to competency based assessment. Therefore, if you are using assessments, we have already done the hard work for you. We can easily map the development programs that will have the most impact for your current graduate intake. We also have a range of profiling tools to assist in the process.
For more information on how to add value to your graduate strategies please contact Fusion Graduate Management Solutions at info@fusiongms.com.au |
