Written by Cathy James August 2025
Best Practice is commonly touted as a goal for our early talent programs. And rightly so. We want to ensure we are using proven methods or approaches in our programs that have delivered consistently good results elsewhere. We benchmark our programs against the best. We measure impact and adjust our strategy based on feedback and retention data. We design learning using evidence-based models.
Best Practice is scalable and repeatable. But it is also often tied to the past.
Instead, Next Practice is a term that helps us think differently. It is future-focused, considers emerging challenges and the needs of our future early talent, and helps us stay agile.
Of course, being future-focused inherently means we’re often working with unknowns and ambiguity, but it should be a crucial component of our early talent program thinking.
What does Next Practice look like within the Early Careers space?
- Shifts occur with each generation entering the workplace. Gen Z are predicted to account for a third of the workforce within the next 5 years. The emergence of Gen Alpha will occur around this same time. This requires us to monitor career motivator trends to attract and retain the best talent, and adapt our learning experiences to meet their ever-changing needs.
- The future of jobs and rapidly evolving skill requirements has companies starting to think differently to stay ahead of the curve. Competency frameworks need to be more agile, and learning experiences need to remain relevant to the changing context. Reflection, experimentation, guided cognition, peer learning, scenario/case study review and coaching, are all effective approaches that will help shape an an adaptive workforce and individuals who are set up for career success.
- Declining employee wellbeing and rising stress has led to increased psychosocial risk and injury. According to research by Allianz Australia in 2023, active primary psychological workers’ compensation claims have surged by 47.5% over the past five years. What systems are in place (structural and cultural) to support early talent transitioning into the workforce and ensuring positive wellbeing?
- AI is starting to find its feet within the learning experience. Well-designed prompts within custom GPTs can provide personalised, scenario-driven learning delivered at the time of need. This idea of learning in the flow of work is a crucial strategy for upskilling and competency growth and supports the 70:20:10 framework of learning whereby most learning occurs on-the-job.
In practical terms, Best Practice and Next Practice should coexist.
Best Practice gives us structure and reliability but alone can lead to complacency or conformity. Next Practice is what ensures we are ready to adapt to the needs and challenges of the future.
Our Fusion development approach is firmly rooted in adult learning principles and a commitment to continuous improvement for your program.
Get in touch if you want to explore options for your current early talent programs that support Best Practice and Next Practice.