EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES, CAREER CONVERSATIONS: THE BUSINESS CASE
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO INTERNAL CAREERS CENTRES
BY THE CHALLENGE FACTORY, SUPPORTED BY THE CANADIAN EDUCATION AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR COUNSELLING (CERIC) AND THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF CAREER EDUCATORS AND EMPLOYERS (CACEE)
This recent publication makes the business case for the establishment of internal career centres, providing a framework for employers and a coherent system to strengthens staff retention and work/job/worker agility, and to deliver measurable business results.
The core activities of an internal careers centre are:
-Career coaching (advisory)
-Internal mobility programs
-Skills assessment and gap analysis
-Mentorship and sponsorship programs
-Training and upskilling programs
-Leadership and succession development.
These support the following organisational talent functions:
– Learning and development
– Talent acquisition
– Engagement
– Diversity, equity, and inclusion
– Workforce planning and performance management.
Described as a ‘playbook’, it’s more like a workbook that explains the key concepts, gives examples of their application, facilitates the reader to examine how to apply them to their particular organisation, and reflect and advance. It progresses from awareness raising to action, from piloting to practice, and from creating internal momentum to creating lasting impact.
The playbook:
-provides concrete advice on how to connect people growth to the business strategy,
-explains how to create the organisational conditions for the success of this approach,
-enables organisations to assess how intentionally and systemically they integrate career development across the enterprise using the Career Development Maturity Index for organisations,
– shows how to make the business case for investment and support, its different elements and processes, and
-explains how to activate and implement the strategy using a research to practice cycle and how to gain organisational insight from the activity.
The Guide (free to download) is well written, well presented, easy to follow, has excellent graphics, has a very useful glossary and set of tools in the Appendices including a summary of key questions based on each chapter to enhance the learning and development process.
While the establishment and organisation of internal careers centres will depend on company size and resources, the principles presented and the tools provided in this practical publication should be of interest and pertinence to any forward thinking employer, regardless of company size and resources.