Extending opportunities by opening the hiring pool
For years, organizations have practiced rigid requirements for recruiting and have inadvertently passed up great talent. For example, people with potential and positive attributes have been excluded simply because they didn’t possess a college degree.
Today, companies like Ovia Health are ditching the degree qualification and instead are focusing on hiring based on the candidate’s soft and hard skills. In addition, they are following the competency or project-based hiring trend. Lexi Kantor, Ovia head of human resources, wants companies to place more value on their life experiences and, by doing so, to diversify their staff and gain an advantage in employee retention.
IBM is also taking this approach in an effort to open the hiring pool to diverse backgrounds. IBM has replaced many of its college degree requirements for apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeship programs provide individuals with an opportunity to pick up skills, apply these skills to real-life projects, earn credentials and get paid — all at the same time.
Moreover, apprenticeship programs bring opportunities to individuals who may not afford the traditional route of college or may not want to get into student debt as so many college grads are in now. These programs also bring opportunities to people with diverse backgrounds. IBM apprentice Tony recalls his apprenticeship group had a firefighter, paramedic, nail salon worker and a mail delivery driver who had recently come from Colombia. Tony remembers that “We all had different experiences before IBM, but here’s what we had in common: basic tech skills, a curiosity for learning, and a passion for technology.”