Fixing the digital talent supply chain

Degreed, Accenture and Nyenrode support companies in retaining and developing talents.

The world’s largest companies are pushing a digital technology agenda that is changing the way the rest of the world works. Over $ 1.7 trillion in market capitalization resides in just four digital business masters: Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook. It seems companies have no choice but to innovate if they want to compete and succeed and stay on the cutting edge of technology.

It takes a certain skill set and certain employee network to accomplish these goals, and many organizations are having a hard time cutting the mustard. A recent survey by the Manpower Group, reports that 38 percent of businesses globally are struggling to find the right talent. Rather than wait for the talent they need to emerge from the market, enterprises need to look to their current employees first with a focus on how to internally develop the skills needed.

Degreed, Accenture and Nyenrode Business Universiteit are joining forces in a partnership to address three of the important challenges companies face in retaining and developing the right talent:

1. Alignment: More successful organizations view their people as a strategic differentiator. They have a clear business strategy in place, understand what capabilities are needed and can align their digital talent development agenda with business objectives.
2. Adaptability: The classic model of education – a burst at the start and top-ups through formal company training – does not meet the needs of today’s fast changing business environment. At the same time, learners are finding alternative ways and sources to acquire the expertise they need. Companies need to rethink the way they enable, engage and empower the learner.
3. Acceleration: Workers understand they need to develop new skills to remain relevant. In our survey, 85% of respondents said they would be willing to invest their free time to learn new skills. If companies invest in developing rapid reskilling programs, they can mitigate automation’s negative impact on workers.

In a combined effort, Accenture, Nyenrode and Degreed address these challenges. The partnership aims to better exploit the window of opportunity for targeted development and enrich the learning experience with personalized learning offerings that provide academic rigor and proficiency.

 “This partnership propels our mission to rotate businesses to the new and emerging opportunities of digitalization, furthering our high value transformation services,” said Robert-Paul Doove, Senior Manager at Accenture.  

Degreed supports targeted skill development to take place within the walls of an organization, by facilitating the discovery, measurement and recognition of all learning. As explained by Degreed CEO, David Blake, “Our platform automatically connects people to relevant resources and offers an engaging user experience, stimulating people to make learning a daily habit.”

Nyenrode reinforces the learning journey for targeted learners by blending the digital, informal learning experience on Degreed with their renowned strengths in the field of action based learning, expert-led masterclasses, case assignments, network events and academic rigor. “This partnership enables us to deliver innovative learning solutions to our clients,” says Diederik Slob, Program Director Professional Programs at Nyenrode Business University.

After a period of experimentation and optimization, the team is excited to start serving its first learners on their journey to become the workforce of the future before the end of the year.