Abstract:

The transformational changes to business environments brought about by the fourth industrial revolution prompt a need to explore the implications of talent management theory and practice. Current research has shown that talent development is considered a fundamental aspect for human development, especially within the COVID-19 crisis. Specifically, talent development in the field of technology, known as “tech talent”, has become a strategic imperative for both public and private sectors in Amsterdam metropolitan area (Netherlands), which is known for its internationalization strategy and close collaboration with education providers in order to generate working positions.

The purpose of this research project is to evaluate the importance of tech talent development initiatives in Amsterdam metropolitan area in both public and private sector; to identify the trends that are more common in talent development initiatives in the region, and to reflect on how to leverage tech talent development initiatives in an efficient way.

To achieve these objectives, a basic qualitative study took place, which is considered an adequate approach to better understand the participants’ experiences, as well as the meaning the participants ascribe to those experiences. After an exhaustive literature review on (tech) talent development and its importance for both private and public sectors, semi-structured interviews were conducted with leaders in the field of talent management and development, education, lifelong learning and policy making. The study followed purposive sampling method, which is widely used in qualitative research for the identification and selection of information-rich cases related to the phenomenon of interest and meaning saturation was achieved at nine interviews.

The results from the interviews confirmed the current literature on the importance of talent development initiatives for both the government and the private sector, especially within the current COVID-19 crisis. The main trends in current talent development initiatives include -but are not limited to- competence-based hiring, development of modular education, new emerging sectors and professions and digitalization of jobs. As for the ways to leverage tech talent development initiatives, there was a common need for effective mapping of all talent development initiatives with the possibility for companies to establish synergies and the government to have a clear overview before deciding where to invest. While the results of the study can't be generalizable, they can serve as the starting point for further research, ideally combining qualitative and quantitative methods, with the participation of more stakeholders from the government, education institutions and the private sector.

For this project, a consortium composed of researchers and practitioners from public-private organizations was created with the following partners: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), Amsterdam Economic Board (AEB), the Municipality of Amsterdam, Startup Amsterdam and the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA).

Keywords:

Talent development, Amsterdam metropolitan area, talent development ecosystem, qualitative research.