Segments of the Community: Benefits and How to Reach Them

Segments of the Community: Benefits and How to Reach Them

A. High school

Main Benefit: Promote manufacturing and STEM career paths to the next generation of the workforce.

· Establish relationships with local high schools and career centers

· Participate in a state program for career centers and simulate workplace for students to give them real workforce exposure

· Donate funds to promote academics, STEM, and attendance in the local high school

· Hold science days which promote science and innovation, promoting the idea that STEM can be fun

· Participate in panel discussion regarding employment opportunities within the community targeted at the high school level

· Participate in science clubs, reading programs, nature programs and other club or special interest groups at the high school

· Allow high school teachers to visit the manufacturing site and perform job shadowing to ensure they can communicate what is available in the local industry to their students

B. Community colleges

Main Benefit: Build a strong partnership which provides a long term talent pipeline for the program.

· Speak to career center classes on employment opportunities in the community for the type of subjects they are learning (Ex: electrical, HVAC, toolmaker) and align with your workforce plan and skill needs (Chapter 1)

· Establish internship opportunities and build a relationship with the local community college offering employment opportunity for their students and consider donating equipment to the local community colleges

C. Veterans

Main Benefit: Recruit candidates for the program who have developed skills such as discipline that match the workforce needs.

· If not already in existence, consider developing an internal company team to evaluate opportunities for veterans and expand your veterans hiring program

· Support diversity and inclusion initiatives as they can help attract and retain the best talent nationally as well as increase productivity in the workplace

· Community service at locations that provide services for veterans

· The US Chamber of Commerce (and certain state workforce commissions) sponsors many events across the country (Ex: job fairs) strictly for military personnel so make an effort to attend these events to solicit veteran talent to join your company

· Develop a partnership with an organization that helps to attract, hire, develop and retain top quality military talent (Ex: Siemens and Orion)

D. Long term unemployed

Main Benefit: Provide opportunities for qualified and underutilized members of society.

· The state workforce commissions may help you target the unemployed population

· Unemployment office job postings and job fairs

· Pool of candidates that have prior workforce experience and basic skills, just may need to be trained to the specific job processes/industry information

E. Existing employees/family

Main Benefit: Create a committed and engaged workforce while at the same time leveraging this internal network to identify future program participants.

· Demonstrate diligence as a facility to avoid environmental accidents and injuries. Hold annual safety day celebrations, invite vendor partners to put up displays, provide food and have company leader presence

· Bring in employee’s spouses to help them understand what their spouses do on a daily basis

· Bring your child to work day can help spark an interest in the industry in the upcoming generation of talent