Dive Brief:

• Facebook has announced the launching of a new career development site, Learn with Facebook. Users of the new platform can gain hard and soft skills to compete in the digital workforce, Facebook said in a press release. The social media leader has added professional growth and advancement to its employment tools and resources platform, called Jobs on Facebook.
• Learn with Facebook includes courses on job interviews and content marketing management, which feature insider tips, case studies and information from industry experts. Users can access the courses free of charge. Facebook has partnered with Goodwill Community Foundation to make Learn with Facebook accessible, provide training and develop resources for people from all backgrounds and educational levels, according to a company statement.
• In 2017, the company launched Jobs on Facebook, which it said has helped users find 1 million jobs. With this update, businesses can share job openings on Facebook group pages. The company has also updated its mentorship tool, which connects people in groups who want mentorship from others in their community with relevant experience.

Dive Insight:

Traditional job training hasn't been able to quell the skills gap — after all, it couldn't prevent it in the first place. Massive skills shortages will continue, as long as the 49-year record-low unemployment rate holds or dips lower.

In response, schools, businesses, government agencies and even digital platforms like Facebook have launched new job training initiatives to upskill U.S. workers. Some learning initiatives approach the skills gap through academia, paying for workers or job seekers to go to school or setting up talent pipelines that funnel students into jobs. Microsoft partnered with Accenture and Boeing last year to create the Internet of Learning Consortium to prepare job-ready employees. Microsoft also designed its own college courses and degree programs to better prepare students for tech jobs.

Facebook has taken an approach more akin to that of LinkedIn Learning. Learn with Facebook allows its billions of users to log on and pick up the skills their resumes might lack. According to the 2018 Workplace Learning Report by LinkedIn, employers' No. 1 training priority for 2018 was soft skills. With Facebook's program, job seekers and employees struggling with this can seek guidance independently or prompted by an employer or potential employer.