Savvy new recruits are moving in to sustain the talent pool strained by the so-called “brain drain.” Avoid condescendingly shaking your head at the thought of the influx of “undisciplined, know-it-all kids” into the workforce. Instead, consider the creative possibilities coming into the realm of training.

Stereotyping entire generations; describing each massive group as a generational cohort; essentially lumping together individuals, born over several decades, and to proceed to describe a common personality is arrogant. Yet one-size-fits-all training no longer creates the most knowledgeable and effective workforce. And as the en masse of baby boomers actually do retire (though not all will leave the workforce at the traditional retirement age), younger workers will flood in. And despite their education, they will need to be trained. Is there a difference between training under-30 workers and their older counterparts? Absolutely.

But workers of both polar ages can learn from one another.

First of all, yes, every generation looks at the proceeding ones with some skepticism. However, rather than immediately judge these younger employees as undisciplined and unwilling, consider the new and creative possibilities they bring. The wave of 20-somethings heading full force into the working world know how to set up a blog. They can text message with their eyes closed. And they know how to maneuver the Web to research knowledge and global statistics to make critical business decisions.

Most of this young working generation has been taught traditionally, where learning and the acquisition of knowledge is separated from experience. Through technology, the Internet and interaction with each other, they have found that learning, communicating and creating occurs simultaneously.

For one thing, under-30 workers tend to absorb information quicker, says Mike Byington, of Inland Label and Marketing Services, in a recent Occupational Hazards article about safety training for Generation Y. This is not to slight the older worker, Byington is quick to note, but rather younger workers have been raised in the “right here, right now,” an orientation which could make employers and trainers better teachers. No longer can employers focus on training and be done with it; they must prepare for immediate Q&As, as this younger generation tends to respond more quickly to questions, which must draw reactionary and readily available answers from the person leading the training.

The format often is significantly different between training Generation Y and the baby boomers. Gen Y began elementary school with computers, immediate global access via the Internet and advanced technical courses; the now-retiring employees started off with a blackboard or big tablet, a No. 2 pencil and the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Consider a buffet of learning tools for under-30 employees: in-classroom handouts, DVD or video instruction, one-on-one attention — a combination that has been very successful for the younger worker. Nancy Nehlsen, president of marketing firm Nehlsen Communications, suggests that printed materials should have dynamic, high-impact graphics and short messages, as younger workers generally are so graphically oriented and thus have shorter attention spans when it comes to reading print. (Blame music videos. And Fox News.)

Perhaps most significant, though, should be the involvement and incorporation of more computer- and Web-based training — e-learning.

Indeed, computer- and Web-based education has been seen to be more quickly embraced by the under-30 workers, more so than by their “age-enhanced” colleagues. Online training promises more effective teaching techniques by integrating audio, video, animation, text and interactive materials with the intent of teaching each student at his or her own pace — seems about perfect for a generation raised on MTV and 24-hour online access.

To wit: according to Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than 78 percent of people ages 18-29 use the Internet — a fact that can be put to use advantageously. Who better to help organize and implement an online training program than the people who have been exposed to technology throughout their personal and professional lives? Not only are they apt to embrace a technology-based training program, they also are inclined to keep pushing that training program toward continual improvement.

This is not to say older workers should be considered Luddites or technophobes; in fact, older workers have been receptive to computer-based training despite the under-30s’ closer familiarity with computers and the Web.

Even so, the Next-Gen absolutely can benefit from the experience of the Old Guard. “If we get into a classroom and we’re talking about a technique, and some of the older guys say, ‘that’s not how we used to do it,’ a good instructor can turn it into a learning experience,” says Keith Sliman safety director at Ford, Bacon and Davis, a chemical engineering and procurement company. (Sliman’s statement was regarding safety training, but this insight can be embraced by all training initiatives.) In other words, the instructor can explain that the way they used to do it isn’t necessarily the best way. As Sliman notes, “The novice gets to see the new way and the old way, and it’s up to us to show them why the new way is better.” That is, if in fact the new way is better.

Similarly, possibly the most underappreciated form of training and learning passes between the two generations of workers themselves. Mentoring should go both ways. If workers can overcome pride, mentoring and reverse mentoring actually can reduce training costs. A recent Miami Herald article put it aptly: “The benefits in reverse mentoring often flow to both parties — a 61-year-old supervisor passes on historical knowledge or leadership tips to a 25-year-old. The [Gen Yer] helps the baby boomer discover new ways to rejuvenate his current position.” (It’s like the tagline for the original Karate Kid movie says: “Only the ‘Old One’ could teach him the secrets of the masters.”) It is about learning how a different generation wants to be taught.

Perhaps training this new crop of workers has its benefits. Perhaps they will work smarter and not have to work harder.

Sources

Generation Y Safety: The Challenges of Reaching the Under-30 Worker
by Josh Cable
Occupational Hazards, Nov. 21, 2005

Try reverse mentoring
by Cindy Krischer Goodman
Miami Herald, March 8, 2006

Additional

Targeting Employees Under 30
by Shane Austin
Occupational Hazards, Dec. 1, 2005