Cancelled placements and an uber-competitive job market have left 2020 graduates no choice but to adapt with upskilling during Covid-19
It seems as if everyone has a Covid-19 horror story, but for 2020 graduates the employment crisis is definitely causing some screams of terror. But how can upskilling help? As employers and small business owners, it’s our job to know how the next wave of juniors are adapting.
We all know that employment levels are dropping at a scary rate: 220,000 people have been removed from company payroll between April and June this year. This is a tragedy for lots of reasons. But the one we’re focusing on today is the effect on the job market, which is incredibly saturated.
As hundreds of thousands of students are graduating from university, they are leaving the safety of education and being plunged into the turbulent seas of unemployment. Pair this with the 220,000 newly unemployed and already experienced people now applying to any job they can, the odds of a 2020 graduate securing their dream role are miniscule.
So how are they coping? What are they doing with their time now that it’s barren of education and employment? Many are upskilling.
What is upskilling?
Upskilling is the process of improving your skills, often for the sake of employability. It can be done in person but lots of graduates are taking free online training programmes to sharpen their skillsets.
In previous years the word was often used to describe company training, where employees took courses to get better at their jobs. Now it’s a common, individual practice.
Why are 2020 graduates upskilling during Covid-19?
Imagine: you leave full time education and you’re met with nothing. No jobs, no assessments, absolutely nothing there to fill your time.
After hundreds of applications you’re bound to get fed up. Receiving rejection after rejection is tiring in itself, but applying for jobs and getting no reply is even more disheartening. Are you guilty of not sending out rejections?
The problem-solvers among the grads will inevitably take to upskilling to improve their chances of employment.
How are graduates upskilling?
Digital courses are incredibly common these days. It seems as if every other website is hosting digital training, so graduates have to be picky.
You can usually discern the worthwhile courses from the time-wasters by reading reviews, star ratings and doing some research. Any course worth its salt will be accredited by a noteworthy organisation.
Common websites for graduate upskilling during Covid-19 are LinkedIn Learning, Coursea, Lynda and DigitalGrads. Our unique graduate training programmes are especially designed to increase graduate employability. They teach valuable and practical skills for every element of tech and media jobs, from application to employment.
If you’re thinking about checking out our courses and offering them to your employees for free, click here to view them. If 2020 graduates are upskilling during Covid-19, you might as well be too.
Want to help?
If you’re feeling sorry for the poor souls, there is something you can do about it. We have a blog post on ways you can support 2020 graduates and a hiring platform if you’re looking to take one on!