Suncorp uses targeted reskilling pathways to close skills gaps
Suncorp Group is using strategic reskilling as a pathway to help its people transition into new roles and address skills gaps.
“We are using targeted reskilling programs to create new career pathways for our employees and ensure we are prepared for the future of work,” says Jennifer Catterall, Executive Manager, Talent Leadership & Capability, Suncorp Group.
Suncorp draws on its annual workforce planning process to assess future capabilities and identify areas of skill demand.
“We focus on people in roles that are at risk of future disruption due to oversupply. We then reskill these individuals into capabilities that we may need more of or are in high demand in the external market.
Jennifer Catterall
“At the moment, the skills or roles in undersupply include data analytics, digital specialists, information technology and project management and delivery.”
ALIGNING FOR SUCCESS
It's not just about building our future workforce but also evaluating the viability of reskilling for individuals, teams, and the overall business.
"For example, if we’re looking to reskill someone working in a contact centre, we need to look at the best career pathway option. Transitioning them into a data scientist role may not be feasible, but reskilling as a data analyst in a contact centre performance team could be,” says Jennifer.
Jennifer notes the importance of having willing participants with the right talent and mindset for successful reskilling, while also highlighting the importance of buy-in from all stakeholders.
"You need a team that is willing to release employees and support the program, even if this benefits others in the organisation in the longer term. Additionally, the teams receiving the talent in the future must be engaged in the development of the program so they are confident to hire the program participants.
“Aligning those stakeholders and ensuring they are engaged is key to success,” adds Jennifer.
DIVERSE PATHWAYS
One of Suncorp’s successful reskilling initiatives has been its Business Process Modelling program, developed in partnership with Mentem by University of New South Wales (UNSW). This program has seen 77 percent of graduates transitioning into new role opportunities (permanent or secondment) within 18 months. 71 percent of participants were women. Across all reskilling programs, Suncorp has retained 98 percent of participants.
“We're building a female talent pipeline by training our people and genuinely reskilling them into new roles via alternative pathways,” Jennifer said.
“It’s not without its challenges, we have taken some time to get it right. This targeted approach is working well, but we are always learning and improving.”