With the youth of today seemingly obsessed with online social media, it’s surprising to learn that Generation Y, tech-savvy young people apparently ‘dislike’ online training.

This is according to a recent article on the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s website (CIPD), written by Grace Lewis, a staff writer at People Management, the official magazine for the CIPD.

A report by the Institute entitled ‘Developing the Next Generation’ said that unchallenged stereotypes or generalisations about how to support and grow young employees could create ineffective development initiatives.

The report also showed that although they admitted to being ‘tech-savvy’, the majority of young people said they disliked ‘online training’ and showed a preference for bite-sized learning, gaining knowledge from experience and receiving constructive feedback.

The CIPD has urged employers not to focus on recruitment methods alone, but to focus more on the development of young people to retain great talent and improve business performance.

Young people bring enthusiasm and drive, innovative thinking and technological understanding to the workforce, the report said. However, young employees need to develop deeper skills in self-awareness, acceptance of criticism and emotional intelligence.

A 2015 survey from the CIPD showed that 76% of organisations offer at least one programme aimed at young people, including apprenticeships, work-based degrees and industrial placements. However, the Developing the Next Generation report said establishing a clear business case for developing younger workers is a recurring challenge for organisations.

Visit www.cipd.co.uk/pm to read Ms Lewis’ article in full and access the ‘Developing the Next Generation’ report.  The report explores methods of developing 16–24-year-olds in the workplace and identifies what works and why; which skills do young people enter the workplace with and what’s the most effective way of building their capability.  It is relevant for anyone working in a line management role seeking to understand how they can best meet the development needs of the next generation.