Six in 10 Persons From Gen Z Are Upskilling Through Online Courses: Report

Six in 10 people from Gen Z upskill themselves through online courses, internships and competitions, according to a report released by hiring platform Unstop.

The report said that companies are expected to change their approach to screening and evaluating candidates.  

Unstop, in its study, found that 92% of employees working in human resources departments do not think college curriculum effectively prepares students for the corporate workplace.

The study also found that nine out of 10 persons in the Gen Z group expect firms to adopt and encourage skill-based assessments while hiring.

Human resource personnel ranked analytical, teamwork, and collaboration skills as high in demand but short in supply, as per the report. Around 73% of them said that mentorship is the best solution to bridge the skill gap.

Skills In Demand

According to the report, around 50% of the recruiters view analytical skills, and technical and domain-specific skills as the most in demand, closely followed by teamwork and collaboration skills at 40%

Around 34% see interpersonal skills as crucial, 31% naming strategy and leadership. Data and artificial intelligence ended up lowest in the list, with 16% viewing as the most important skill. 

HR personnel, who were part of the survey, said that technical and industry-specific skills, strategy and leadership, analytical, teamwork and collaboration, and data and AI skills are in short supply.

Skill Gap

The HR personnel surveyed by Unstop ranked the following as the reasons behind the skill gaps seen in candidates navigating the job market:

• Lack of mentorship - 65% 

• Rapid technological advancements - 29% 

• Constantly shifting job market demands - 26% 

• Underconfidence in the young workforce - 18% 

• Limited opportunities -16% 

A majority of the HR personnel (73%) were of the view that mentorship from industry professionals is the primary method when it comes to bridging the skill gap, followed by 68% crediting internships and projects with being a key tool for achieving the same.

Around 58% stated that focusing on soft skills would help, and 31% recommended participation in competitions and online courses and certifications. Meanwhile, leveraging college curriculum was ranked lowest among the methods to bridge the skill gap, with only 13% of the respondents backing it.