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Outsourcing tasks to university students and recent graduates on an ad-hoc basis can provide an efficient, cost-effective solution to companies’ staffing issues.
Imagine you’ve just spent three years studying a subject you love. You have good grades, excellent prospects, and eagerness to boot. Your whole future is ahead of you. And then a pandemic hits. Didn’t see that one coming.
A fair number of this year’s graduate cohort will be cursing themselves for not studying epidemiology, and many might be wondering if the cost of their degree was worth it after all. Their chances of securing full-time employment have sunk as the companies that might offer it slash costs to navigate this desperate landscape.
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Even with the Rishi Sunak’s ‘Plan for Jobs’, which will pay young people’s wages for six months, the outlook is hardly sanguine. There’s 400,000 students graduating this year. Just 18 per cent will secure jobs, compared to 60 per cent in previous years.
It’s tough – we should make no bones about that. But this year’s Class of Covid-19 needn’t be so down on their outlook, for there is another way. Businesses should be better utilising this untapped resource of grads.
Think of it like this: Many firms are overhauling operations, from halting recruitment to dealing with reduced interest in their wares. They might have projects, but not enough to justify hiring a full-time team member. They might need support here or there, but don’t have the cash flow to pay for a freelancer. What they do have, though, is hundreds of thousands of incredibly willing and talented grads, dying to get a foot in the door for half the price.
Young people at the bleeding edge of industry and technology. You won’t need to show them how to use Zoom. They will show you. Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
University Students and Graduates Are The Smart Choice for Small Businesses
Outsourcing tasks to university students and recent graduates on an ad-hoc basis can provide an efficient, cost-effective solution to companies’ staffing issues, while also helping the current generation of university students and recent graduates to gain invaluable experience.
Platforms like Toptask allow students and recent graduates to work with top companies on an ad-hoc or recurring basis. The hiring party gains focused, flexible and high-quality work, while students and graduates are able to consolidate professional skills, build networks and gain first-hand insight into their chosen field. This model particularly excels when niche skills or knowledge are required, as businesses can advertise to a huge pool of young professionals.
The main reason companies choose to hire graduates in ordinary times is that, generally, they are a blank slate with a range of transferable skills, easily moulded to fit the long-term needs of a business. The same largely applies in the short-term. These are young people at the bleeding edge of industry and technology. You won’t need to show them how to use Zoom. They will show you.
Outsourcing Makes Financial Sense In An Economic Downturn
For businesses, the opportunity to employ temporarily the best talent, with a fresh perspective, for a lower cost, should not be sniffed at amid a backdrop of downturn. Hiring may be on hold, but by doing so – even if only temporarily – you’ll gain valuable insight into the emerging job market, putting you ahead of the pack and in a better position to understand what comes next.
As companies are looking to restructure their teams and work ethos, there has never been a better time to adopt the outsourcing model and appeal to the untapped potential of students and recent grads. These young people bring a dynamism and approach that an older hire can’t match. We owe our help to this generation. If we do so by helping ourselves, that’s surely a boon for us all?
Greg Newman
Written by Greg Newman, CEO of Toptask – the fast-growing app which connects skilled undergrads and graduates with businesses for freelance work.
