In a tight economic climate, where businesses expect development teams to deliver more with less, proving the value of early careers hiring has never been more important, explains ISE’s Anne-Marie Campion.
An ISE webinar with Helen Fawcett, Head of Early Careers, and Dan Tingle, Head of Programme Development – both at National Grid - explored influencing stakeholders, securing senior buy-in, and demonstrating that investing in graduates and apprentices delivers real business value.
Good data matters but, early careers teams rarely have perfect data. What matters is having the right data: information that aligns with business priorities and supports organisational strategy.
There is no single formula for success, but the session provided a clear framework for influencing decision-makers and building a compelling ROI narrative.
Influence stakeholders by understanding what matters to them
Helen stressed that data alone is not enough. Development professionals must understand their stakeholders and use ROI data as a navigation tool to bring leaders on the journey.
Senior leaders are typically focused on three things and understanding which matters most, and when, is key:
- Risk: workforce attrition, ageing demographics, capability gaps, succession concerns.
- Cost: rehiring, underperformance, delayed productivity, and the financial impact of time-to-competence not being achieved in the required timelines.
- Confidence: senior leaders have a clear strategy for the future success of the business – they need to understand and believe that the EC hiring and development strategy will deliver it.
All three matter, but successful development professionals tailor their message to the priorities of their audience.
Tell a story — don’t overwhelm with data
Persuading stakeholders requires reliable and credible data, but decisions are emotional as well as rational. Rather than drowning leaders in spreadsheets, tell a story using the data points that matter most to them.
Helen shared how a new CEO’s message in her organisation was simple: “Build tomorrow’s workforce today.” The challenge was to show — through both narrative and evidence — how investment in early careers hiring would achieve that ambition.
Her advice was to think like an actor:
- know your audience
- use only the most meaningful data
- allow stakeholders to connect the dots
- make every point intentional
- control pacing, balancing urgency with reassurance
Most importantly, every story needs a resolution and a clear decision.
Different audiences need different evidence
Dan explained that in the apprentice space, success depends on securing the right skills at the right level and achieving target times to competence. If learners fall behind, the organisation risks failing to deliver the future workforce when it is needed. In that context, risk and cost become critical concerns for senior leaders.
From Helen’s graduate perspective, progression and retention are key. Leaders want confidence in the quality of hires, their ability to contribute quickly, and their likelihood of staying and growing within the organisation.
External benchmarking also plays an important role. Senior leaders want to understand how their organisation compares to the wider market, making objective industry data invaluable.
This is why ISE’s recruitment and development surveys continue to be such an important resource for members.
What does the latest ISE Development Survey tell us about ROI?
Key findings from this year’s ISE Student Development Survey include:
Retention remains one of the clearest measures of ROI in early careers development. Across sectors, employers retain an average of 63% of both graduates and school and college leavers after five years, although this varies significantly by industry.
Comparative external data is therefore essential when building a persuasive business case.
For organisations navigating economic uncertainty and rapid workforce change, developing an effective emerging talent strategy is increasingly challenging.
The message from our experts was clear: successful ROI conversations are not simply about analysing data. They are about understanding stakeholders, aligning with business priorities, using evidence strategically, and telling a compelling story that addresses leaders’ core concerns around risk, cost and confidence.