Nicholas Wyman

Are you a hiring manager having a hard time finding people with the right skills to do the jobs you need filled? Or are you an executive or business owner having trouble recruiting people with the skills needed to innovate, grow your business, and compete in a tough economy? If so, there may be one obvious place you haven’t thought to look yet: inside your own organization. Today’s smart companies are finding the valuable human capital they need to accomplish business objectives and get a leg up on their competitors – while saving money on recruiting costs and turn-over – by growing it from within. In this talk, skills expert Mr. Wyman shares all he has learned helping companies like IBM, Siemens, Volkswagen and MGM Grand develop their state-of-the-art skills training programs to show managers and HR professionals how to find productive, motivated, talented people for any position without having to look any further than their existing roster by investing in training and developing the talent they already have.

Today, 14 million Americans are unemployed, while 3.5 million positions remain unfilled. Why? Because businesses can’t find people with the right skills to do the jobs they need. Meanwhile, costs are rising exponentially, yet 53% of recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. Geared toward industry leaders, policy-makers, educators, or anyone interested in our collective economic future, this lecture looks at the issues behind this often quoted “skills gap” or as Mr. Wyman refers to it, the problem of “people without jobs and jobs without people.” Drawing on his work with the organizations, governments, and educational institutions who are pioneering the most cutting-edge solutions to the skills-gap problem, Wyman offers a roadmap for how organizations, communities, and educators can come together to develop the human capital needed to keep our businesses innovative and profitable, our economy healthy and humming, and our nation sustainably competitive in today’s global economy.

Skills training is a natural match for the entrepreneurial mindset of this generation—Getting a cluster of skills that can evolve, ensuring young people don’t obtain just one degree and become ‘locked in’ is a critical ingredient to a successful and rewarding career. Studies support that Gen Y says outright, they don’t want to have the same job for a lifetime. They want the opportunity to change and grow; they want to cultivate an “entrepreneurial attitude” towards their work life. Mr. Wyman’s presentation will explore how to connect motivated students to the jobs of the 21st Century. Mr. Wyman will give an insight into his conversations with employers. How they think and how they hire.

In this talk, aimed at high school students and graduates, community college students, and any young person unsure whether they would flourish in a traditional college environment, career mentor and apprenticeship expert Mr. Wyman shatters the outdated notion that a traditional 4-year education is the best or only path to a well paid, and rewarding career. He then goes on to outline the myriad other educational options – like professional certifications, associate’s degrees, or apprenticeships – that provide job-seekers with practical, technical, and soft skills that companies and hiring managers – in field ranging from IT and robotics, to healthcare and nursing, to mechanics and manufacturing, to food and hospitality, to sales and marketing – are looking for. Then, he shows how to parlay that education into one’s “dream job” in any career. This talk is an essential and informative resource for any high school or community college or high school counselor wishing to educate their student body on how to land meaningful, interesting, and well-paying jobs without the hefty price tag of a traditional 4-year college education.

Why investing in apprenticeships makes sense for the economy and all its stakeholders: Every $1 that governments invest in apprenticeships generates $27 in economic growth. Combine that yield with the U.S. plan for a 4-year, $2 billion commitment to grow apprenticeships — and we have a real weapon in closing the skills gap that is curbing economic growth. Mr. Wyman helps companies map out clear skills growth plans for their organizations.