Millennials are becoming the most influential people in the market today as they are graduating from college and reaching their peak employment years.

As they enter the workforce, millennials bring with them a new perception of what office life should be like and how relationships between employers and employees should be structured.

A millennial is defined as someone born in 1979 or later and who became an adult on or after the year 2000. Most millennials today are between ages 18 to 35. They are the “young professionals” many companies are seeking to hire and retain.

Good luck.

According to Inc., when Deloitte surveyed 7,700 young workers across the world about their career plans, millennials said the same thing over and over again — I’m going to quit.

Nearly 45 percent plan to leave in two years. Two out of three millennial employees hope to be out the door by 2020.

In the article, “This Is Why Your Top Millennial Talent will Quit,” millennials tell pollsters the most likely reason they plan to walk out the door: Their leadership talents aren’t being developed by their employer.

Unfortunately, employers aren’t making much progress in getting better at training leaders, the report noted.

The takeaway is crystal clear: if you want the best possible shot at keeping your top young employees, you need to offer them a visible ladder to reach the next step up in their careers, with all the training and mentorship that may require.

If they can’t see a way to keep climbing, they’re likely to jump ship — sooner rather than later.

Research consistently shows that investing in people development is a way to empower workers in their current role, support them in their career aspirations and ultimately keep employees longer.

Companies and organizations that understand the real value of professional development, culture, innovation and creativity also recognize the value of continuously educating their employee base.

These organizations are the ones that will be better positioned to adapt to the rapidly changing demands of today’s work environment.

Many small businesses and nonprofits struggle with finding the time and money to get the training they need to develop their organization and employees.

Organizations that understand the true value of professional development, culture, innovation and creativity also recognize the value of continuously educating their employee base.

These organizations are the ones that will be better positioned to adapt to the rapidly changing demands of today’s work environment.

Incorporating professional development within the overall corporate strategy, with so many competing interests and tight budgets, is the challenge.

Studer Community Institute training can help meet those needs.

SCI’s next training session, “Performance Coaching with Quint Studer,” is planned for Wednesday, April 6.

Later in the month comes “Making Your Next Presentation Bulletproof" with Daniel Pennington, on Tuesday, April 26.

On Friday, May 6, hear from Lynne Cunningham on how to have the difficult conversations that arise in the workplace. Click here to get details and register for all three.