Partnering with Schools to Reach Students
Collaboration with local schools is an effective workforce recruitment approach that can result in a healthy pipeline of eager applicants looking for career opportunities.
“Yes, high school and college students are usually somewhat ‘green,’ meaning they don’t have a wealth of work experience. Many don’t know how to work, because they’ve never been taught to work. That’s a very general statement, and there are many exceptions to it….But whether or not you agree or disagree with it, this actually can be a very good thing for you because their lack of work history means they haven’t formed a lot of bad work habits and therefore they can be more easily inculcated with a good work ethic – one that they learn from you.”
– Eric Chester, author of Fully Staffed and Reviving Work Ethic
General Best Practices:
- Designate someone who is enthusiast about working with young people to be your company’s point person for outreach out to high schools, trade schools, and technical colleges.
- Focus on building relationships with instructors and administrators with the goal of learning what it is they need to help their students succeed.
- Stick with it and be consistent. This type of outreach can take some time to develop, but once established, can be fruitful for years to come. If one of the approaches outlined below doesn’t work out, regroup and take a new approach.
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