Firm thinks it can raise job prospects in 60 seconds
NEW YORK — Jobs that require more than a high school degree but less than a degree from a university have historically served “as the springboard into the middle class,” according to a report released by Harvard Business School last year. Even better: These so-called “middle skill” jobs are in demand. Yet too few workers, said Harvard, have the right training to get them.
Grovo, an online education startup, thinks it might have a solution. The company has unveiled a free website with video lessons in 10 digital skills that range from the basics, such as how to use a computer mouse, to more nuanced abilities, like how to create a personal brand or network on LinkedIn. Grovo’s lessons are “bite-sized,” says co-founder Nick Narodny, “to combat information overload.” Each video lesson is just 60 seconds long.
Middle-skill jobs, for which Grovo hopes to prepare workers, pay, on average, 18 per cent more than similar jobs without digital requirements, according to a March 2015 report by Capital One and labour analytics firm Burning Glass. Demand for such jobs is also growing, the two companies found. Yet HBS researchers found last fall that middle-skills jobs — including plant operators, production workers, and quality inspectors — remain hard to fill.
“Very often, people who come from low-income to moderateincome communities haven’t had the opportunity to be trained in using various technologies,” says Carolyn Berkowitz, managing vicepresident of community affairs at Capital One.
It’s too early to know if oneminute videos can make a dent. Not everyone who stands to benefit from the program will have access to an Internet connection and computer. (Grovo says it will team with non-profit that work in struggling communities.) There’s no hard data showing that bite-sized videos can propel someone without much formal education into a steady paying, middle-skill job.
Narodny is optimistic that the company will reach at least 5,000 low-income workers over the next year.