Learnovate’s €3m Project Investigates Modern Employment Landscape

Posted on: 02 February 2016

A team from Trinity College Dublin’s Learnovate Centre has just announced a €3 million research project which will investigate career development. The three-year project, called DEVELOP, is being funded by the European Commission research initiative Horizon 2020.

DEVELOP, which began on Monday, aims to create a personalised learning environment for career development. It aims to do this by enhancing employees’ awareness and understanding of the process.

Careers are unique and personal. They evolve over a person’s lifetime and contribute to their personal, social and economic well-being. 

• Previous research has found that employees who are actively developing their careers receive the least career guidance.
• These employees are also facing increased working lives and longer careers.
• Changing labour markets and reduced job security are hallmarks of the modern labour market, as is the growing demand for adaptable workers with increased mobility.

DEVELOP intends to help employees and employers to cope with these demands by providing tailored learning solutions.

The project will focus on areas such as collaboration, leadership, and developing social capital. According to Dr Neil Peirce, Learnovate’s lead academic, “These skills are traditionally not explicitly taught and are hard to assess, yet are in high demand in the commercial world.”

Commenting on the award of €3 million, Learnovate Centre Director Dr Martyn Farrows said: “Horizon 2020 projects are subject to rigorous scrutiny and are not awarded lightly so this is a tribute to Dr Peirce and his team.”

DEVELOP will be evaluated and validated through two diverse use cases: IBM (ICT) and BNY Mellon (financial services), which comprise a combined global workforce of 480,000. 

DEVELOP’s research outcomes will bring benefits to both employees and employers. An enhanced understanding of career development and what transferable skills and social capital they possess will facilitate greater mobility for employees. 

For employers, projects such as this can promote staff retention and therefore reduce costs associated with the hiring process.