The Brokerage The Overlooked Advantage - Flipbook - Page 8
1. Readiness to learn
In the context of the fast-changing world of work, businesses are increasingly recognising the
importance of on-the-job learning to help their staff keep their skills up-to-date: according to
one report, 9 in 10 UK employees will need to reskill by 2030.[10] To learn effectively, people need
a combination of the right opportunity (in the form of training and resources), but also the right
mindset to be open and ready for learning.[11] These qualities - curiosity, high level of ambition,
hunger for new experiences and connections - were also mentioned by all employers working
with the Brokerage Candidates, as something that set them apart from other young people with
more opportunities and resources to draw on:
“What we’ve seen is a drive and ambition that I don’t see in everyone who comes through. The
interns are so keen to work with everyone in the business, to get as much out of their placement as
they can, because they haven’t had as much exposure to the profession as some of their peers. All
of our interns stayed in contact with the people here, they want to continue to have mentors to
talk to.”- Employer
“These young people changed the atmosphere [in the company], changed the pace for the teams.
They are quick to understand the ways of working, have good questions… and so good at asking
for more work! A couple of interns had managers going on annual leave, so as soon as work would
run out they’d come up to my desk asking to give them something to do.” - Employer
“They are so much more aware of why they want the opportunity - not “because my dad works in
insurance”, but able to articulate why they want the job, where it can take them into the future,
what they want to learn. They are giving up their summer holidays for this!” - Employer
These findings echo the work on “growth mindset”, or belief that talent can be developed through
hard work (as opposed to a “fixed mindset” that likens talent to an innate ability).[12] Research has
shown a growth mindset is associated with greater achievement in education and workplace
settings, and can even counteract the negative effects of poverty on achievement.[13] Here is how
one young person talked about how their background motivated them to take up every opportunity
to learn new skills, develop different kinds of experiences, and build relationships and networks in
the workplace:
[10] CBI. (2020). Learning for life Funding a world-class adult education system. CBI.
[11] Hughes, D., Higton, J., Beard, A., Birkin, G., Corley, A., & Milner, C. (2019). What Motivates Adults to Learn? A rapid
evidence review of what drives learning new skills in the workplace. Nesta.
[12] Dweck, C. (2016). What having a “growth mindset” actually means. Harvard Business Review, 13, 213-226.
[13] Claro, S., Paunesku, D., & Dweck, C. S. (2016). Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic
achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(31), 8664-8668.
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