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Employer Quotes

The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Manufacturing

They are talking about this topic: Educational Partnerships

 

The quotes below are about this issue:
Employers speak of the process of recruiting and the challenge of placement partnerships with colleges in other regions of the state.

Employer Quote Region
"Even when we don't have jobs open, we're interviewing and we are recruiting. There are 20 major engineering schools across the country we actively recruit at. We're on the campus all the time. We try to get to the Northeast Higher Education District schools to find out who the talented students are. We provide guest lecturers, and we help with trainings. The key is to be proactive—to identify where the deficiencies may be in the future and to have those people lined up before the brain drain goes out the door." Northeast
"It's tough because when you show a regional map—I can't tell you how many times I sat in a meeting in the Twin Cities and said, 'Fergus Falls is not in northern Minnesota.' And I think that is really the key—when you look at where our colleges are serving and where they actually sit as opposed to where we recruit to. We have to do a better job of getting into those colleges and saying, 'Hey, guess what we're up to?' But, at the same time, I think there needs to be a connection there. Recruiting from four hours away is a challenge. So, that is the other piece, just how we connect with the distances." Northwest
"When we have people in college—and I think this would even go into high school—sometimes it's difficult for them to even get to your facility to see it. There was talk of loading up a bus and bringing them to the facility for a tour, but the distance up here is a real factor. You can have all the employment opportunities, but if they think you're too far away—or they actually don't even know how to get to the factory—that's a problem. People are busy working a part-time job trying to feed themselves and whatever, so how do we get them into our places and let them know that there are jobs for them? How do we communicate that there are places to live and all that stuff, too?" Northwest
"Students need to know where we're located, and what our location has to offer. That's huge for us because getting them to come and see the plant and see the area is the biggest hurdle. They're interested in the jobs, but recognizing where we are and what we have to offer is big, too." Northwest
"I'm on the recruiting side of the picture here. And there are more and more who are using social media with our business customers to help them fulfill their needs in their facilities. We're using LinkedIn and Facebook. I know that is a new trend, but more and more people are getting information continually all the time. And businesses are able to brand their business using social media, and you can promote the good stuff that is happening in your company. And it is feeding that information to potential employees so that, when you do have a job opening, you can interest them and bring them into your facility." Northwest
"We go right to the school. We focus on [MnSCU college #1] and [MnSCU college #2]—their fluid power program and their mechatronics program. And, because of the mechatronics program that the CTC is getting going, we'll be focusing on them, too.

One thing that we've found with crafts people during our recruitment is that you can hire them away from home, but eventually they want to go back. And you need people that come from that area. And our whole attack on recruitment has been to build a strong rapport with the schools. Be on their advisory boards, and get to know what their programs are all about. And get to know the instructors so they can give us a little lead on some kids and things like that."
Southwest