Personalizing the Learning and Work Experiences of Young Adults

This report provides insights from the Young Adult Talent Development (YATD) Network about viable approaches to achieve its goals. YATD has brought together senior leaders of over two dozen national and local entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations, along with young adult leaders who work at the intersection of education, youth development, and workforce preparation. These leaders, who primarily work in and with communities of color, share emerging strategies and operational innovations for driving improvement in the field of young adult talent development.

With the economic effects of the pandemic remaining, in the form of increased volatility and labor shortages in some industries, leaders in the field of young adult talent development are seeing the need to recalibrate demand- and supply-side approaches. Workforce professionals are looking to implement approaches that are both youth-centered and employer-centered and that deepen the engagement of program participants, employers, and talent developers.

This brief explores how the pedagogical approaches of personalized learning can help in this endeavor, drawing from the insights and innovations shared by the YATD Network, and offers a simple mapping tool that talent developers can use to assess where such approaches may have the greatest impact.

(This report is 16 pages long.)

(The study took place from 2021-2022.)

The report provided the following insights:

1. Doubling down on personalized learning in young adult talent development can help create a new and better normal in training and education, one where the two sides understand that they must work together to achieve their career and workforce goals.
2. Talent developers continue to have a vital role to play as the bridge between the two sides who work with both young people and employers to help them understand how to utilize the assets both groups bring to the table.

The authors highlighted the following selected recommendations as positive means to the achievement of personalized learning approaches for young adult learning development:

• Provide project-based learning opportunities such as inviting young people to design a class to teach others about their career field of interest.
• Provide engagement opportunities between employers and young adults such as mock interviews and networking events that open dialogue about business challenges and opportunities.
• Encourage effective communication channels among young adults, talent developers, and employers, including regular check-in on shared and individual goals,
• Provide mentoring programs or opportunities at employment sites.
• Utilize earn-and-learn training models such as apprenticeship programs.

The authors found that while the objectives and goals of talent development may differ between young adults and employers, mapping supply and demand side practices reveals that there is inherent alignment between the young adult- and employer-centered practices. The two sides want the same things: the right occupational fit for talent, and success and longevity in positions.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2022
• Author(s): Ndiaye, M.; Steinberg, A.; Gregg, A.
• Funding Source: Jobs for the Future
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: India Johnson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies