Randstad RiseSmart unveils RiseSmart Skilling to help workers close skills gaps and businesses improve workforce agility

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Talent mobility provider Randstad RiseSmart today announced the launch of RiseSmart Skilling™, a unique approach to skill-building that provides employees with a strategic roadmap to identify and close their skills gaps and enables businesses to develop more agile workforces. RiseSmart's tech and touch skilling suite is built on the premise that access to courses alone is often insufficient for helping individuals discover and develop in-demand skills that are aligned with the needs of their company or the broader job market.

RiseSmart Skilling addresses this shortcoming with four key solution components, all of which are coordinated through RiseSmart's talent mobility platform and mobile app:

• Occupation Explorer – an interactive tool for career exploration and planning that informs workers on market projections for jobs, salary ranges, skills that will increase chances of landing desired roles and related occupations based on skills and education
• Learning Hub – a federated search for courses with immediate access to thousands of premium courses from LinkedIn Learning, Udemy and other top learning providers, in multiple languages
• Career Concierge – a dedicated course specialist who curates best-fit courses and experiential learning opportunities, such as internships, to support the individual's reskilling and career goals
• Certified Learning Advisor – a highly-trained learning and development expert who develops customized learning plans and offers guidance to help participants stay on track

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has made it clear to employers and HR professionals that reskilling and upskilling employees is necessary to ensure a company's long-term competitiveness. According to the World Economic Forum, one billion jobs – roughly one-third of all jobs worldwide – are expected to be transformed, and 133 million new jobs will be created to meet future demand. However, many human capital leaders are struggling with how to implement and enforce a skilling strategy.

A Randstad Sourceright survey of human capital leaders found that while 91 percent of companies felt they should be providing reskilling opportunities to employees, only 22 percent are doing so and 30 percent say they don't know how to do so. A recent RiseSmart study found that since the onset of COVID-19, only 4.5 percent of employers said current outplacement programs include reskilling courses.

"Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, most organizations recognized the need to reskill and upskill their workers and yet have struggled with how to implement a meaningful and effective strategy," said Randstad RiseSmart President and General Manager Dan Davenport. "RiseSmart Skilling provides organizations with a platform that not only offers employees one-stop access to critical decision-making data and thousands of courses from top online learning providers, but also the ability for employees to select the right courses and to work directly with both a Career Concierge and a Certified Learning Advisor to develop a unique learning plan tailored to their goals and skills gaps."

"Picking the right courses and sequence of courses can be daunting when there are thousands to choose from, and once those courses are identified, staying on track is akin to getting in good physical shape," said Lindsay Witcher, VP of Practice Strategy at Randstad RiseSmart. "People need guidance and the equivalent of a personal trainer. RiseSmart is the first in the industry to provide this degree of assistance with a Career Concierge and a Certified Learning Advisor to make sure individuals achieve their goals."

Participants can use Occupation Explorer to see data about their current roles and adjacent career options, including employer demand, projected growth and required skills. This information guides discussions about career exploration and skills gaps between a participant and their coach and informs assessments the participant completes. Once skills gaps are properly identified, participants can visit the Learning Hub, which allows users to select from more than 20,000 free and premium business- and technology-related online courses in seven languages from the top learning providers – the largest, centrally-searchable course catalog in our industry. A RiseSmart Career Concierge will handpick the best-fit courses for each participant, carefully taking into account an individual's learning style and goals, their target career and available time investment.

For participants who need more specialized guidance, Certified Learning Advisors (CLA) are available on an individual and ongoing basis. RiseSmart CLAs offer years of experience in adult learning, learning pathways and career planning to help each individual craft a learning plan tailored to their unique goals and career aspirations – all informed by labor market conditions.

"Reskilling is such an important component of the future of work, but many are struggling with how to pinpoint the skills they need to remain competitive in today's labor market," said Michael Gray, VP Product Strategy & Innovation at Randstad RiseSmart. "RiseSmart Skilling simplifies this by layering innovative tech tools alongside 1:1 guidance from certified career coaches to deliver individuals with comprehensive and personalized learning programs that will enable them to narrow their skills gap and secure a new role with a bright future."

About Randstad RiseSmart

Randstad RiseSmart is the fastest-growing career transition and talent mobility provider, and operating company of Randstad N.V., a €23.8 billion global provider of flexible work and human resources services, that helps more than two million candidates find meaningful work every year. Our outplacement, career development, redeployment, and contemporary tech and touch solutions strengthen employer brands, improve retention and re-engage talent. Employers hire us because we deliver superior outcomes through expert coaching, professional branding, contemporary resources and on-demand analytics. Today, we are a trusted human partner of successful companies in more than 40 industries. Our passion and dedication to innovation, responsiveness and results have earned us extensive recognition and awards from organizations such as Bersin by Deloitte, Gartner Inc., the Brandon Hall Group, and Fortune magazine. For more information, visit www.randstadrisesmart.com.

SOURCE Randstad RiseSmart

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