The workforce is at a crossroads right now. Employers want to find talent that will set them up for success and be able to perform well amid rapid change, but there are limitations on who they consider to be “qualified.” For instance, nearly three quarters of HR professionals report they cannot find the workers their organizations need to fill critical open roles. In a rapidly changing skills economy, skills-based hiring is becoming and will remain a competitive advantage. Continuing to rely on rigid hiring tactics such as pedigree bias, linear education paths or limited age ranges makes companies more susceptible to negative impacts from skills shortages, adaptability challenges related to AI and the digital transformation, and potentially limits innovation or out-of-the-box thinking.
These legacy hiring tactics also leave out an entire subset of job candidates for consideration: non-traditional students. These learners, often referred to as ANDers, are students who are balancing school and work and family responsibilities while looking to advance their careers. Nearly 70% of today’s college students work while enrolled, more than 40% are over the age of 22, and nearly one in five are raising children at home. Many are also caregivers or veterans transitioning from military service into civilian careers. Since these candidates hold many “ands,” they bring in a broad mix of skills and perspectives shaped by education, continuous learning and real-world experiences, making them powerful skills accelerators in the evolving workforce landscape.
Long-term workforce resilience and success will depend on talent pipelines that are not constrained by narrow or outdated expectations, but rather those that push the boundaries to truly find the best, most well-rounded and adaptable talent to build their workforces.
Joe Patterson is vice president of strategic partnerships and national outreach for workforce and community education at National University.
