Page 192 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

hiring and preparing great mobile talent � 171

Such youngsters are the road warriors and corridor warriors of the
future. Are they getting the skills they need today, and the metaskills
they will need in the future, to continue to advance through careers
that will be constantly changing?
“In my professional background,” he told us, “I was a biology,
chemistry, physics, and anatomy teacher. I was a major control freak. I
would say, ‘This is where, when, and how you are going to learn biol-
ogy.’ Today you don’t need me for any of that. Education has to be-
come accepting of the fact that the learner is mobile. The information
is mobile. I don’t need a 900-square-foot classroom. I need access.”

manager Alert! who Is generation y, and
what Is the Impact on the mobile workforce?
The Generation Y (Gen Y) group won’t be entering the training room
of yesteryear very much. Also known as millennials and the iGenera-
tion, these new employees like to use technology, expect their employ-
ers to provide technology-based training and resources abundantly,
and are multiculturally savvy.
How does your training strategy cater to this Gen Y group? What
is the competitive difference your training department offers that will
attract and keep its Gen Y trainees engaged? Mobile technology and
features such as mobile e-mail and mobile texting, as well as mobile
applications such as online communities, social media, and instant
messaging, are used ubiquitously by this group. You’re missing the
boat if these tools aren’t in your virtual training toolbelt. And there’s
a bunch of them, as everyone knows.
These people grew up using electronic technology. They can
search for answers, whip out questions to large numbers of people who
use social media, and tweet up to solve problems anytime they want.
There is no one way to train this audience—or any other one—but if
you want to attract and then engage this particular group, you’d better
be using some nifty apps. They know how to track down information
better than you probably do. Why not put them to work creating your
strategy for training and learning? Otherwise, watch the best ones