Unless you’ve been hanging out in a desert, burying your proverbial head beneath the shifting, arid sand, you’ve likely heard about LERs — Learning and Employment Records.
Not only have businesses begun adopting them, but an entire cottage industry has sprung up to support companies as we, collectively, transition to a skills-based economy and to a digital method of talent attraction and retention.
What exactly is an LER?
“LERs are digital records of an individual’s formal and informal learning and employment that better represent learners with diverse experiences in the job market,” according to Education Design Lab.
(Think along the lines of Electronic Medical Records. If someone gets sick while traveling, medical providers still have access to information about their allergies, current medications, etc.)
Often called digital wallets, LERs are portable for opportunity seekers (aka, job seekers) and businesses looking to hire talent. It’s a repository of work experience, life skills and education, readily available at your fingertips.
Shifting Standards
The Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) sees potential for all sides of the workforce: “Many Coloradans have a variety of skills acquired through learning, work and other life experiences that can be exhibited through LERs. In turn, employers can find it easier to identify talent with the skills they need — potentially closing the number of vacant positions across the state.”
Many job seekers, businesses and educational institutions still use the archaic method of résumés and transcripts, but with the global paradigm shift toward life-long learning and skills-based hiring, LERs are beginning to supplant the old ways.
How LERs Benefit Your Business
Are you able to fill the talent needs in your organization?
As the gap continues to widen between employer needs and the skills of the workforce, think back to the last time you hired someone who was not a good match, or someone whose résumé was outright fraudulent. LERs have been attributed to more precise hiring and better candidate matching. Not to mention the human-power it can save you and your leadership team.
According to the Aspen Institute, “Verifying credentials via LERs can reduce time and expense for HR in checking résumés, credentials, certifications. This speeds hiring and reduces administrative burden.”
Use of LERs also widens your talent pool by helping your team access candidates who may not have traditional credentials but have equivalent skills, experience or informal learning.
In turn, improved workforce planning creates a path for internal mobility, leading to reduced turnover and higher retention, equating to improved efficiency and competitiveness for your company.
“Employers are experiencing first-hand the advantages of hiring based on skills, not just educational background,” according to SkillsFWD. “Digital wallets give hiring managers the granular data they need to make informed decisions.”
Baby steps. Small wins.
We’re not talking about purchasing expensive software and launching a full-scale enterprise-level rollout.
Clarify your goal and start small, say, with one use case, such as verifying training certificates or tracking staff skills for cross-training.
Engage key stakeholders early — for smaller businesses, this means your leadership team, your HR vendor and a few staff.
Leverage existing tools, such as training providers or college platforms that issue digital badges/certificates. Adopt open standards rather than custom technology, so you can plug in add-ons as your ecosystem grows.
Pilot, measure and adjust, by running a small trial with fewer than 10 employees.
Go with the Flow
“The LER movement continues to grow,” says Jason A. Tyszko, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
He works to create transparency around learning outcomes, competencies and skills so learners and workers can better access opportunities and achieve economic mobility.
And the best-case scenario? As society looks to hone the skills of students in middle and high school and beyond to match industry’s needs, “Training and education providers can better ensure their programs’ outcomes include the skills needed by employers,” according to CWDC.
Now, that’s a win for both business and workforce.