Employerability

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Hi, I'm Mike Asprey, the Chief Executive of Mondrag Group. We are a public service improvement company, and our mission is to make public services brilliant everywhere, all the time. We are based here in the Smart Innovation Hub at Keele University's Science and Innovation Park, and I'm here to talk a bit about what makes an employer a great place to nurture young talent.

When working with talented young people, we often discuss employability and focus on what students can do to become better employees. I am interested in the other side of this equation, which I call "employer-ability." It involves considering what employers need to do to create an environment where young people, students, undergraduates, and graduates can thrive and grow in the early stages of their careers.

Being here at Keele, we have benefited greatly from access to an excellent internship scheme, which has allowed us to bring in many talented young individuals in the early stages of their careers as undergraduates and recent graduates. When hiring people without prior experience, we often worry about two things: whether our investment in them will pay off and whether they have the skills needed for the job.

However, we have challenged ourselves to rethink this approach. Instead of trying to mold them into people like us, we aim to create an environment where their unique talents and ideas can flourish. When young people join Mondrag, we give them lead responsibility for a project or an aspect of our work. We don't tell them how to do it; we work collaboratively to find solutions to the challenges we face. We believe in harnessing their fresh perspectives and talents to enhance our business.

Sometimes, our concerns about what could go wrong can affect their performance. Therefore, we explicitly grant them permission to make mistakes and encourage them to ask questions. This supportive atmosphere leads to fewer mistakes and fosters a culture of learning.

We also maintain open communication with every young person, ensuring they have a clear understanding of their progress and ensuring their time with us is both enjoyable and fulfilling.

I'd like to mention three well-known companies: Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. All of them were started by undergraduates. While I'm not trying to compare ourselves to these giants, it's essential to recognize that they benefited from nurturing young talent. As employers, we should act more like investors, creating a safe space and environment to nurture young people's talents.

That's what I mean by "employer-ability."

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