The long-term resilience of countless industries depends – in part – on our ability to pass fundamental skills onto the next generation. However, with young people often acting as catalysts for change, they offer exciting potential to push the boundaries, too. And with many young adults considering their next steps this summer, it’s a perfect time for us to consider how we lend a hand in supporting those that will make up our future workforce.
I truly believe that young workers bring huge value to the workforce from the very first day of their employment. They help us to see things differently, embrace new approaches, and challenge old ways of working. But it always strikes me that us more experienced workers carry an enormous responsibility to set this generation up for future success…
In the coming decades, as a society, we will be grappling with rapidly evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, alongside the worsening effects of climate change and an uncertain global economy. Those born in the nineties and noughties will find themselves at the driving seat during a critical time for society – and we need to do everything we can to make sure they are ready to take this challenge on.
That might sound a bit daunting, but young people also have a massive opportunity to make a significant, positive contribution to the world around us. So, what can we do to support young workers now, so they are confident to build a safer and more trusted future?
First, I believe we need to be more open and transparent about the challenges we’ve faced during our working lives, so young people don’t make the same mistakes as we did. For example, we’ve learnt over time that instead of going ‘all in’ on new technologies, we need to make sure that security is treated as a top priority at all stages of product creation and deployment. By adopting this ‘secure by design’ approach, the next generation could avoid more serious security breaches happening in the future.
Next, we must pass on our enthusiasm for making, building and shaping the future. It’s on us to get young talent fired up and motivated to take on the world. Yes, new technologies should be treated with caution, but over the coming decades there’s huge potential to accelerate innovation, create new business models and unlock significant productivity gains. It is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times in history for young people to be joining the workforce.
And finally, but perhaps most importantly, we need to be generous with our time and deliver plenty of learning opportunities. This means providing young people with practical, hands-on work experience alongside the theory. And it means reaching young people who may not have considered a career in technology and introducing them to some of the future career opportunities.
Human intelligence is critical to help us build the future we can all trust, and we’ll be hiring all over the world – from France to Australia, the UK to the US. As part of this, I look forward to bringing even more young talent into the business.
You can find out more about career opportunities at Thales here: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/career#overview-4376
You can follow Philippe Vallée on LinkedIn here
