Usually when we speak about talent, we only consider natural aptitude or skill. But what organisations should be doing is actually looking at what can be developed, not just looking at ground zero.
A resounding question we often hear is: why is there a dearth of talent? This isn’t only applicable to positions that are open; for companies scaling at the speed of consumer conversation, it’s about being two steps ahead questioning where the company is heading and what skills do people need to work successfully. The hallmark of great leadership is strategically thinking about their current employees, seeing who has the potential to grow, actively listening to what’s needed for them to scale up and in doing so, creating an evergreen workforce.
The start to an evergreen workforce starts with a commitment to nourish from the ground-up. This also means addressing the skills gap with intentional on-the-job training to set the talent up for success. In that case, you are being part of the process in the making of the talent – the development part of it.
Moving from competence to excellence
Media.Monks took that step in the right direction by rolling out a six-month-long graduate program where graduates were chosen after a thorough vetting process to get functional as well as role-based training. The program, which inaugurated out of AUNZ with the goal to iterate in APAC markets, includes a four-pronged approach to holistic talent development: induction training on values, culture, tools and processes; functional training with overviews from each function that operates in our region, including Executive Operations, Finance, Legal, PMI, Growth, Recruitment, DE&I; soft skills training with sessions related to communication, time management, problem solving, project management, accountability and ownership, resilience and wellbeing; and role-based training in Data and Digital Media.
According to a recent report by RMIT, 87 per cent of the Australian workforce need these skills to keep pace with digital transformation and build economic recovery. Reports suggest a $10 billion growth in the technology, media and communications industries by 2025 for the region. With this program, Media.Monks’ endeavour is to not just nurture talent but equip the workforce with a strong foundation of digital skills, breadth of data and tech solutions inclusive of Google Marketing Solutions. Graduates will get a crucial understanding of how to build data maturity with clients in the region, specially ones who are looking at the ever-changing martech solutions in a privacy-woke world.
Media.Monks wants to create opportunities for university graduates to practise and observe and experientially learn from the challenges that are optimal at the start of their careers. The graduate program branded Fresh.Monks is about shaping people with talent through innovation. Innovation at looking at the talent and hiring process beyond the HR departments. Innovation in having domain experts and arguably the industry’s best mentors train young blood today so they are fit to deal with the challenges of tomorrow. Innovation is turning teams into hiring machines. Innovation in culture.. as is the mark of high-growth organisations.
The design language symbolises the metamorphosis that each talent goes through to finally find a vertical that is in line with their skills, competencies, interest and growth prospects.
Kenny Griffiths, managing director APAC, Media.Monks said: “We want to continuously build a workplace that employees feel connected to. Our grad program Fresh.Monks is our proactive and grassroots approach to grow and sustain evergreen talent. With a Fresh cohort comes innovative ways of thinking, supercharging our ability to deliver on our promise to clients. An investment in development is an important driver in directing, targeting and applying our collective experiences to maximise potential. We’ve been on numerous ‘best places to work’ lists and we’re continuously working on creating an employer brand that stands tall.”
