Does your entire workforce know how to access the internal mobility opportunities you offer?
Non-first generation college students tend to have an important advantage passed on to them from parents or guardians who went to college: specific knowledge of what it’s like to be a college student. That knowledge includes awareness of the support and benefits that they can access from their institution that will help them achieve success as learners.
And because this know-how is often not formally taught, collectively, this knowledge is known as the hidden curriculum.
The hidden curriculum refers to a fairly wide array of implied norms that help learners take full advantage of their education — skills like knowing how to communicate and manage relationships with professors.
We call it “hidden” because it’s so ingrained that it’s assumed everyone knows it. The problem is, not everyone does, and those who don’t — often first-generation learners — struggle academically and socially as a result.
The reality is, the hidden curriculum doesn’t start and stop with higher ed.
First-generation students may also become first-generation managers. There are aspects of navigating career mobility that may seem universal, but may not be apparent to employees who haven’t had the privilege, mentorship, or opportunity to enter the workforce with that knowledge already in hand.
Skills like how to prepare for an interview or how to grow and maintain a professional network are so integral to achieving internal mobility that they’re often assumed to be skills employees already have, even though many may not — that’s the definition of a hidden curriculum.
As companies work to create career pathways that their entire workforce can access, the delta between employees who have and have not had the opportunity to develop career readiness skills becomes more apparent.
Often, the people who need these skills the most — along with the career growth opportunity that comes with them — are in entry-level and frontline positions. Out of over 5 million people currently eligible for Guild membership, roughly 4 out of 5 are in such roles.
Over 80% of the 5M+ eligible employees are estimated to be frontline workers, defined as roles that provide a service to the general public.
Guild’s internal data over the last 12 months as of 01/01/2023
Between pursuing the right competencies to fill skills gaps, and looking for new roles in a priority area, navigating the internal hiring process at different companies can be a significant challenge.
That’s why, this April, Guild launched our new Career Accelerator tool, a dynamic resource within The Guild Career Opportunity Platform™ designed to help our members build the confidence and know-how to advance their careers.
Through short, interactive multimedia learning modules (videos, articles, quizzes and more) focused on specific career readiness skills, members have access to a self-paced, flexible and multi-modal resource supporting their career journey.
Building career readiness with technology and 1:1 coaching
We designed four support modules within Career Accelerator based on the skills members’ need most for successful career advancement including:
- Building a resume
- Preparing for an interview
- Networking and building social capital
- Conducting a job search
Each of the modules within Career Accelerator is flexible and self-paced, enabling employees to choose which readiness skills to focus on and learn when it works best for them.
70% of surveyed Guild members indicated that they’d like to improve their career readiness skills.
Guild Research Survey of members applying to degree programs, March 2022
Career Accelerator complements other services that are a part of The Guild Career Opportunity Platform™, including 1:1 growth coaching and career coaching, and outcomes-oriented programs within Guild’s Learning Marketplace that connect people with the skills to then pursue advancement opportunities at their companies.
“I can’t believe this career help is a free service with Guild! My coach helped me with my resume, and I just got a job I would never have expected, paying 5x my former hourly wage! She also guided me through making a LinkedIn profile. Amazing help… and tailored everything to my situation.”
Current Learner on their Guild Career Coach
Helping working adult learners prepare for their next career move
As learners, employees have needs that are different from full-time learners. Guild has deep expertise in what those needs look like, and drew from that to develop Career Accelerator:
1. Time flexibility
Topic navigation is designed for ease, with all content centralized within a single dashboard.
- Career Accelerator offers three levels of active learning resources per lesson to give members flexibility and choice in how much time they want to spend applying new skills.
- It’s accessible from any device, so employees can learn on the go.
- Progress is tracked at the lesson and module levels, so employees can easily see how far along they are and easily pick up where they left off.
2. Different learning styles
Learning content combines visual with kinesthetic learning to accommodate different learning styles through a mixed media format. Each lesson also offers members the opportunity to schedule a 1:1 session with a Career Coach to discuss concepts.
Learn from the experts: Guild’s Career Coaching team authored our Career Accelerator content. One-on-one support from this team of experts can help ensure employees understand content and how to apply it.
3. Varying depths of knowledge
Three levels of active learning — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — can be found in the “Apply It” section of each lesson, meeting employees where they are not only in terms of time but familiarity with each topic, from building initial confidence to developing fluency with applying concepts.
Building awareness of internal mobility opportunities
For Guild’s employer partners, Career Accelerator represents another way to spread awareness of the internal career resources available to employees, including job boards.
This can help people who have recently graduated or who are nearing completion of their education programs explore, and prepare for the in-demand roles they’re best qualified to fill at their current company.
Over 6 out of 10 recent and near-graduates aspire to advance with their current employer.
Guild member survey
Accessing internal career mobility should never be a question of hidden curriculum. Career Accelerator is an important resource for employers to equitably empower talent to prepare and compete for high-priority roles.
