Want to Win the War for Talent? Start Listening to Students
Student perspectives can add real value to corporate innovation.
Transferable skills and passion matter more than a degree title.
Companies aren’t just recruiting, they are listening, learning and adapting.
With the right mindset students can help shape solutions not just study them.
Lived experiences don’t hold us back, they move us forward.
These are some of the powerful assessments of Purpose Lab Student Ambassadors taking part in our pioneering Purpose Lab project. For those without the connections and networks of their more advantaged peers, getting access to up-to-date, relevant information about careers, let alone practical work experience or work placement opportunities can be an uphill struggle. I know that from personal experience too. The risk is that one barrier then creates another – graduates who’ve accessed less work experience then lose out in the jobs market search later.
Crucially, this ends up being bad for employers too, because not offering work experience means that many fail to take advantage of the talent pipeline that is often on their doorstep. They also miss out on the perspectives that these young people, informed by their diverse backgrounds, could bring to their businesses. In a competitive commercial world, that ‘access to talent’ gap will cost them. The more monoculture the employer, the smaller pool they’ll be fishing for talent in and so the harder they’ll find it to attract and retain the wider workforce they need to flourish. Plus, they risk remaining disconnected from their communities.
The Purpose Coalition’s Purpose Lab trailblazing project fixes this by bringing students from Purpose Coalition universities together with Purpose Coalition organisations, bridging the gap between education and work. It is getting them together with CEOs, Talent Acquisition Managers, Chief Strategy Officers and AI Governance Leads to hear firsthand about career opportunities and what their organisations are doing to address a changing labour market and forge a more inclusive workforce. It works for both sides.
For universities and colleges, the Purpose Lab enhances their student experience by giving them the chance to take part in addressing real-world business challenges in projects that range from inclusive growth to ethical AI to workforce wellbeing, building industry-relevant skills, meaningful portfolios and the confidence to thrive in competitive employment markets. As paid positions, they are accumulating experience and knowledge about the careers that might be available to them while also earning money.
For businesses, the Purpose Lab offers a unique way to align social responsibility with strategic goals. It provides strategic value because it gives them the chance to engage directly with diverse young voices, pilot new ideas and sharpen campaigns with insights from future consumers and employees. They are learning what is important to this next generation of talent and what their expectations are of the organisations they work for.
Success stories so far have included Purpose Lab Student Ambassadors taking part in two new working groups at Teleperformance focused on workplace wellbeing, giving the students a platform to influence real business strategy but also helping TP surface innovative ideas that align closely with its global purpose values. Enterprise Mobility were so interested in one Student Ambassador’s suggestions about its customer experience that they followed up with him directly. Other sessions have included wider Purpose Coalition employers such as Aldermore Bank, Travelodge, South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, Southeastern Railway, e.on, Colt, and Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
In my own recent meeting with Ambassadors, we had a frank discussion about social mobility and the importance of connecting with employers who align with their purpose and values, and who are willing to develop their employees to boost their learning and their employability. The Purpose Lab Student Ambassadors have appreciated the range of organisations who have held sessions with them and valued the insights they have given them – a feeling reciprocated by the Purpose Coalition partners who have participated. There’s an appetite for further sessions on some crucial topics that are highly current and will shape the future – for example, it’s clear that the use of AI and how it will feature in the workplace is of huge interest. I’d have loved to have been able to be a Student Ambassador benefiting from Purpose Lab during my time in education and now I’m looking forward to continuing to work with students and employers to explore what opportunities are out there and how young people can help shape a future workplace.
The wider the network of employers and students, the better we can make Purpose Lab. If you’re interested in your organisation being part of Purpose Lab, then get in touch with Finlay Magowan at finlay@thisispurpose.com.
