Gen Z, Development, and Early Talent: Key Takeaways from the AAGE Conference
Every year, Talent Solutions invests in attending the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) conference and awards night. This provides an opportunity to expand our global networks, learn from our Australian counterparts, and bring fresh thinking and ideas back to Aotearoa to benefit our clients.
This year's event was hosted in the (slightly) warmer Melbourne and proved to be another success. We were joined by over 500 delegates from not only Australia but also Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Talent Solutions Director Seren Wilson and Senior Consultant Aron Chantelau were part of a contingent of 12 New Zealanders who made the trip.
We’d like to share some key insights and would welcome the chance to connect with anyone interested in exploring these topics further. Early talent is our passion, and we’re always ready to talk shop!
Now to our key insights:
It’s all about GenZ
We attended numerous workshops and presentations focused on generational differences and the impact that GenZ are having on the workplace.
The McCrindle Future of work Gen Z presentation at the Conference emphasised how GenZ is set to transform the workforce, with predictions indicating that by 2043, they and Generation Alpha will comprise over half of it. Understanding this demographic is crucial as their unique preferences, challenges, and expectations redefine the nature of work.
It’s clear that organisations globally are still figuring out how they can improve GenZ engagement, whether it’s during the selection process or once they have started and need development support.
There was a general consensus during our discussions that every generation entering the workforce has similar challenges (think communication, work readiness) but equally that GenZ have some quite specific expectations and development needs.
This was highlighted by Maddie West from the AAGE and Arup, who discussed the fact that Mental health challenges among Gen Z are notable and reflect a broader trend where traditional measures of success, such as wealth, hold less weight. A significant 84% of them aspire to own their own businesses, inspired by role models like the founder of The Oodie or fashion entrepreneur Brittany Saunders.
Australian public sector centralise to scale
A large proportion (we estimate just over 50%) of delegates represented public sector organisations. The scale of the public sector programmes was impressive and highlights the value in finding ways to centralise programmes to benefit both the organisations and early talent community.
We heard from a community of public servants who were running centralised programmes for school leavers, interns and graduates with a number of these programmes hitting 500+ hires.
Where the approach was centralised, it was clear that a number of barriers to hiring were removed, including headcount caps and duplication of effort.
This included a fascinating workshop run by the University of South Australia on5 year pay as you learn degree apprenticeships. This model has seen a 90% retention rate and the development of skilled engineering capability for industry.
We can learn from Australia’s investment in Development
The majority of organisations we met had invested in robust foundations for early talent development. Not only were organisations clear on their core competencies but they were also actively investing in ensuring that early talent entering their workforce were offered structure development opportunities to ensure they were setup for success in their careers.
Organisations were also experimenting with platforms and tools which included skills based hiring and strengths based development. These approaches have been discussed for a number of years now, so it was fantastic to hear more about these in applied settings.
Dr Suzy Green, a thought leader in strengths based assessments, discussed how organisations are realising the benefits of a strengths based approach. According to Dr Green, strengths-based recruitment, as used by EY, focuses on character strengths (who a person is) and performance strengths (how they achieve tasks). Tools like VIA for character strengths and Gallup’s CliftonStrengths help people identify and apply their strengths, making work more energising and meaningful.
Australia are doing just fine!
In our recent Student Pulse insights presentation, we discussed the challenges students are facing when looking for their first role out of University in Aotearoa. With the reduction of programmes more broadly and the impact of public sector cuts, we were interested to see how things fared in Australia.
The short answer is, quite differently.
When we asked the community at the event how their overall available roles looked for 2024 and beyond, the answer was generally either stable or growing. Many were also surprised to hear that New Zealand was operating at a different pace.
Whilst it was nice to hear, we couldn’t help but feel like Aoteroa is missing a trick in terms of long term workforce planning (we mean at a country level!). If you’re reading this and thinking, we really need to get an early talent programme setup to meet our long term workforce needs, then please do reach out to us. Our mission is to empower you to invest in early talent to benefit Aotearoa in the long term.
What’s next?
We’re interested to see how the themes from the AAGE Conference compare to those at the upcoming New Zealand Association of Graduate Employers (NZAGE) Summit in late November. As the main sponsor of this year’s Summit, we invite you to stop by our booth for a "health check" on your early talent strategy for 2025.
We’ll be offering a fresh dose of insights into how you can set the right strategy to attract, select, and develop New Zealand’s future leaders.
Talent Solutions is New Zealand’s go-to early talent specialist, supporting not only our clients but also the broader early talent community through networking events, the annual Student Pulse research report and roadshow, and regular webinars and workshops. Whether you’re curious about our latest findings or want to discuss how your programme stacks up against current trends, we’d love to connect at our booth.
Join us to discuss and debate the challenges and opportunities we face in Aotearoa, and leave with your prescription for a successful early talent strategy in 2025!
