The Employee Development Center (EDC) uses an online talent-sharing platform to support employees interested in growing their skills through real-world projects. By creating opportunities within the U of M system, employees can take control of their professional development through projects that deliver the University’s mission.
What is the EDC
The EDC fosters career growth by utilizing AI-matching algorithms to pair an employee’s skills and interests with available opportunities within the University system. This allows employees to explore new areas of interest without leaving their current position. Employees in the IT job family are the first group granted access to the EDC where they can create profiles on the EDC highlighting their skills and preferences for what they are looking for in development opportunities. Supervisors can then review employees whose skills match or could be developed through meaningful, short-term development opportunities called gigs.
What to Expect
Gigs are meaningful, short-term development opportunities outside the employee’s current role or unit. Examples of how gigs can take shape are outlined below:
Projects
A short-term defined assignment to support you or your department. Examples:
- Three-week, 5-10 hr/week data analysis project hosted by an employee who is eager to develop management skills
- Six-week, 5-10 hr/week Coordinator of the Staff Development Day
- Nine-week, 1-5 hr/week Patient Access Liaison
Keep in Mind
Gigs are not:
- Full time or part time job placements
- Intended to interfere with employee’s job
- Paid via chargebacks or cause monetary compensation changes
For a list of terms used throughout this process and on the platform visit the terms and definitions resource page. You will log in with your UMN Internet ID and password.
Benefits for employees
- Develops new skills while remaining in current role
- Expands professional network
- Deepens understanding of how work gets done at the University
- Explores new units/colleges
- Normalizes conversations about career development
Benefits for units/colleges
- Project Support: Employees match with high-priority projects requiring immediate attention or specialized skill sets.
- Event or Program Development: Planning and executing events or programs.
- Cross-Unit Collaboration: Builds relationships with other units for immediate and future collaboration. Employees bring in new skills and perspectives to projects.
Benefits for the University
- Supports employees' professional development
- Increases job satisfaction and reduces employee turnover
- Allows the University to respond to changing business needs
A Gig Creator is anyone who oversees work and can provide a meaningful development opportunity for a Gig Explorer.
For the Gig Creator
- Communicate with all employees who express interest in your gig. Note: You will receive notifications from EDC with the names of interested candidates.
- Schedule and conduct meetings with those interested in the gig to learn more about their career goals, other motivators for participating in the gig, and availability. This process is done outside of the EDC.
- Ensure your selected candidate has their manager's support to participate in the gig.
- Once the selected applicant is confirmed, close the gig in the EDC.
- When the gig is complete, share your feedback on the employee's performance.
Best Practices
- Share the benefits of the EDC with new employees to the University during the onboarding process.
- Review the Quick Guide to Delegation to understand employee development, task identification, timing considerations, and team member goals and how they relate to gig creation.
- Discuss the goals of the Gig Explorer during on-going check-ins.
A Gig Explorer is anyone who is interested in building new skills, gaining exposure to new ways of working, and/or expanding their professional network by completing a gig.
Gig Explorer:
- Fill out a talent profile. Talent profiles are the foundation of the EDC. They captures your skills, experiences, and interests, helping the platform recommend relevant gigs. A well-maintained profile increases the likelihood of receiving opportunities that align with career goals.
- The EDC platform uses an AI algorithm to match employees with current open opportunities (gigs). Gig Explorers can also search for specific gigs.
- Gig Explorer expresses interest in a gig.
- If matched, Gig Creators will contact the Gig Explorer to schedule an interest meeting to determine if the opportunity is a match for skills and availability.
- If agreed upon, the Gig Explorer completes the gig.
- After the gig is complete, a Gig Explorer can solicit feedback from people they worked with on the gig, creating a 360-review opportunity for continued insight and growth.
Best Practices
- As a new employee at the University, ask about the benefits of the EDC during the onboarding process with your supervisor.
- Set clear, intentional goals before starting a gig.
- Discuss goals during on-going check-ins.
Gig Lifecycle
Gig Creation
- Create gig
- Submit gig for approval
- Gig reviewed and approved by a Gig Administrator
- Once approved, application process opens allowing Gig Explorer to express interest
Talent Matching + Selection
- Gig Creator reviews applicants who expressed interest in the gig
- Gig Creator schedules interest meeting with Gig Explorer(s)
- Gig Creator notifies selected Gig Explorer
- Approval sought from direct supervisor of Gig Explorer
- Gig Explorer accepts gig
Gig Completion + Feedback
- Gig posting closed by Gig Creator
- Alignment meeting between Gig Creator, Gig Explorer, and supervisor (optional)
- Gig Creator onboards Gig Explorer to project
- Gig completed and Gig Explorer off-boarded
- Post-gig survey
Get Started
Get started by logging into the Employee Development Center using the link below or learn more and find training resources for a successful partnership.
Gig Creator
As a Gig Creator, you help shape a culture of learning and collaboration by posting opportunities, connecting with internal talent, and supporting their growth through structured feedback and collaboration. By creating meaningful gigs, you'll have access to the rich talent of the University community while minimizing onboarding.
Your experience with the EDC will most likely follow this process:
- Start by identifying the type of support needed and then draft and post the gig to the EDC.
- Once the gig is approved and live, the platform will recommend internal candidates while also allowing employees looking to expand their skill set to express interest by submitting an application.
- When Gig Explorer(s) apply, you can review the applications and connect with them through interest meetings to ensure their availability is in alignment with needs, understand their motivations, and assess for gig readiness. Whenever possible, it is recommended that you extend an interest meeting to all applicants.
- You will offer the gig to one or more Gig Explorers and await their confirmation of supervisor support and acceptance of the gig opportunity.
- Indicate the selected applicant within the system and close out the posted gig within the EDC.
- An alignment meeting between you, the Gig Explorer, and their supervisor is optional, but recommended before the gig begins.
- Onboard the Gig Explorer(s) and provide coaching and guidance for gig completion.
- After the gig, you'll wrap things up by off-boarding and providing feedback on the Gig Explorer’s skills—this helps highlight development needs, supports continued growth, and can be used by the Gig Explorer to spark meaningful career conversations.
Ready to start? A successful gig begins with an accurate description. Click on the button for instructions and best practices to get your gig noticed and work done.
Gig Explorer
As a Gig Explorer, you have full control over your growth journey—every step, from building your profile to selecting opportunities and gathering feedback, is designed to empower your experience and development. Your involvement will follow this path:
- Fill out a profile indicating your skills, capabilities, and the level of interest for each.
- The EDC platform then uses an AI algorithm to match you with current open opportunities (gigs) based on your talent profile.
- You can express interest in a gig by completing a short application.
- If matched with a gig, the Gig Creator reaches out to you to schedule an interest meeting where you can share more about motivations, skills, and interests as it pertains to the gig.
- Check in with your current manager to confirm support prior to accepting a gig.
- If agreed upon by all parties, you will then complete the gig.
- After the gig, you can can solicit feedback from people you worked with during the gig, creating an opportunity for continued insight and growth.
Read to start? Click on the button for best practices and directions to build a profile.
Supervisor
Supervisors play a key role supporting an employee's development through gigs by:
- Encouraging them to explore EDC and find a gig that's right for them.
- Checking in regularly to see how things are going, help address challenges, and discuss what’s being learned through the gig.
- Coaching them on how to prioritize their workload and work more efficiently.
- Sharing feedback from Gig Creators to help guide growth and find ways to apply what was learned during the gig into their regular roles.
