FM newsroom – talent management, facility management. Employers are looking for candidates with interpersonal skills, technical knowledge, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to develop and learn continuously. Generation Z needs to know how to acquire the essential skillset to be competitive in the labour market.
Gen Z can fill the workforce gap
According to Nitzan Pelman founder of Climb Hire, with artificial intelligence on the rise, Gen Zers see the skilled trades as less vulnerable to replacement from emerging technology than traditional office workers.
“We may have done a disservice to the Gen Z group of young people. Facility management professionals often label them as “lacking work discipline,” more interested in the balance of life than work, and not eager to learn how our organisations really function. The last few years, however, seem to demonstrate the inaccuracy of our labels as we find the Gen Z cadre of potential workers are smarter than many may have credited them – Stormy Friday, founder and president of The Friday Group, an international facilities services consulting firm told Facilities Net.
Generation Z seems to realise the stability and opportunity of the trade professions over those requiring a college degree.
The skills next generation FMs should acquire
Right after high school, young people must focus on how they can differentiate themselves from their competition. Those considering a skilled trade should think about what they need to learn to be marketable.
Important skills include technical proficiency, problem-solving, attention to detail, physical endurance, communication and organisation. Facilities Net points out that the Gen Z population can acquire these skills in many ways. According to the professional portal, the next generation of talents should explore the multiple combinations of education and training.
Opportunities for education
Apprenticeship programs allow young people to learn while earning and getting hired by the employer involved with the program. This becomes a huge incentive for a young person who wants to start their professional career right away and for those who need to earn money upfront rather than paying out of pocket for training.
Trade and technical schools offer career-oriented programs. Vocational school programs generally allow personal attention and foster professional relationships among participants.
Partnership programs between local companies, trade organisations, vocational institutions and community colleges serve these businesses and ease the financial burden the programs may bear. Some of these programs are on-the-job related and are provided by companies in-house. In-house training programs serve as a long-term workforce development strategy because they build programs designed to serve the exact needs of the company. Business owners committed to creating a sustainable pipeline of trained technical talent may find these programs essential in their company budgets.
