About the Workshop

Highlights:

• Discussing key trends in the future of talent in transportation and logistics.
• Presenting cutting-edge research on millennials, jobs and careers based on interviews with 300 millennials across 12 countries.
• Sharing insight into evolving recruitment practices with universities and vocational colleges.

Many recent studies suggest that millennials generally want the same things from their work as do their parents; that is, job security, meaning, a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves, etc. This is especially true as employment becomes increasingly inaccessible and precarious for young people – a huge social and economic issue in itself. However, beyond the focus on millennials as a generational cohort, there are several larger economic, technological and social issues that affect all workers, but that are perhaps most pronounced for workers in the early stages of their careers, and are therefore faced with the task of weighing the perceived advantages and disadvantages in entering particular sectors.

Given the rapid changes taking place across these sectors, as well as social and economic changes that are shaping the modern idea of a career, this workshop will provide Van Horne Institute members with an overview of the important trends that are likely to impact their organizations. Focusing on major trends in the transportation and logistics industries, and leveraging research its networks at both local and global levels, Csorba & Company Ltd. will discuss the following topics:

Session One: Hyperconnectedness and uncertainty in the millennial mindset

• Present findings from interviews with several hundred millennials across Canada, the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom gathered over the past three years.
• Specifically, Csorba & Company Ltd. will touch on the challenges posed by hyperconnectedness, through constant connectedness to mobile devices, and the stresses and anxieties that this causes. Millennials comment on “ruthless comparison” facilitated by time spent on social media, and on the pressures this creates to pursue activity at the expense of personal reflection.
• Whether or not millennials stay in a specific job for an extended period of time, there is a common perception that they must build their personal “portfolios” in order to acquire skills and experiences, and be competitive in the labour market.
• Csorba & Company Ltd. will tie this into actions that organizations can take in order to engage their younger workers and provide them with opportunities that can meaningfully build their careers.

Session Two: Trends in Transportation, Logistics and Vocational Education

• Csorba & Company Ltd. will present research focused on millennials’ perceptions of transportation and logistics sectors, based on qualitative interviews with a sample of early-career leaders in these sectors.
• Specific case studies will be provided of innovations occurring in transportation and logistics, both within and outside of Alberta.
• Following this, a brief overview of key trends in university/college vocational education will be presented, based on a review of the relevant academic literature. Csorba & Company Ltd. will share examples of this change in vocational education both within and outside of Alberta.
• Building on his research at the University of Oxford (collaborating with the Centre for Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance), Csorba & Company Ltd. will discuss global trends and challenges in skills-based education.

Session Three: Open Discussion

• In this session, participants will be provided with the opportunity to ask further questions that have not yet been addressed over the course of the workshop.

About the Csorba and Company Ltd.

Csorba and Company Ltd. is a boutique consultancy focused primarily on the education sector, working and partnering with organizations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. Its work blends the practical and theoretical, through access to a global network of changemakers and an academic grounding in educational philosophy.

Emerson Csorba serves as President of Csorba & Company Ltd., where he works with organizations in the education sector across Canada, the US, the UK and Israel. In his work, Emerson blends the practical and theoretical through access to a global network of change makers and an academic grounding in educational philosophy. A contributor to Harvard Business Review, The Globe and Mail, Daily Telegraph and World Economic Forum Agenda, he actively convenes thinkers and practitioners to examine workplace trends and issues. Emerson is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London and a Fellow of Canada’s Public Policy Forum. He is an alumnus of both the University of Alberta (B.A.) and University of Cambridge (M.Phil) and is a Clarendon Scholar at the University of Oxford.