In an increasingly volatile labor market, businesses are beginning to recognize the critical importance of early talent in their workforce strategies.
Author:
Kayla Murray
In an increasingly volatile labor market, businesses are beginning to recognize the critical importance of early talent in their workforce strategies. With Gen Z making up a growing share of the global workforce, forward-thinking employers are doubling down on investing in early talent to ensure they can stay both adaptable and resilient in a rapidly changing economy. But what does an effective early talent strategy look like in practice?
Recently, Year Up United (YUU) brought together several employer partners to discuss best practices of early talent programs. We wanted to know – what lessons have employers learned as they have developed programs to meet workforce needs and fill in-demand roles? What we learned may provide critical lessons for other employers exploring how best to refine their approach to recruiting and supporting early talent.
Coordination Is Key
Strong coordination across early talent programs helps reduce inefficiencies and improves the experience for all parties involved. One partner found that combining headcount and manager participation requests across internships with workforce development partners like YUU and campus recruiting efforts helped streamline outreach and internal planning.
This structured approach also made it easier to ensure that early talent reflected the communities the company serves, especially across a wide range of entry-level roles.
Defining the Goal
Clearly defining post-internship roles is a key step in making early talent programs effective. When business units identify destination roles and the skills those roles require, it becomes easier to forecast talent needs and align with training partners to create pathways from internship to full-time positions.
In one case, a partner company gathered this input centrally through drop-down lists and surveys, helping standardize the process and support long-term planning.
Input from All Sides Matters
Good demand planning for early talent brings together insights and perspectives from both executives and frontline managers.
Executive buy-in is important for scaling efforts, and having a formal sponsor can help move the strategy forward. At the same time, line-of-business leaders need to take responsibility for securing headcount and supporting early talent retention. Managers provide important insight into the specific skill sets needed before hiring decisions are made. Coordination across all these levels of the business is crucial to balance both the big-picture vision and the tactical shifts needed to support an early talent strategy.
Data Helps Make the Case
A growing body of evidence suggests that skills-first hiring improves retention and long-term employee success. Sharing that data on the outcomes of early talent initiatives, particularly those that involve skills-first approaches, helps build buy-in across teams and reinforces the value of continued investment in these strategies.
Why Does This Matter?
From the rise of AI to the impact of shifting federal policy, the pace of change across the U.S. economy is likely to keep accelerating in the coming years. Employers who take an intentional approach to their talent strategies, including a focus on early talent, will position themselves for continued growth even as the labor market continues to evolve.
Employers looking to deepen their early talent strategy can turn to the full range of support across Year Up United’s service brands. Career Pathways and YUPRO Placement connect companies with skilled, work-ready talent, while Grads of Life works directly with employers to strengthen hiring and development practices. Taken together, these end-to end offerings make it easier to build and sustain a strong pipeline of early talent.
