Marion,
We agree that employers (and potential employers) are great resources to find out just how effective your training programs are. Do employers have to train your grads after they are hired? Wouldn't it be more effective if those skills are taught at your school? Employers can also give you a clue as to what new jobs they will be hiring for and the new training needed.We also believe employers need to be on advisory boards and get involved in the school in many ways. They are a great partner. When you think about it both the student and the employer are your customers. It is important for schools to focus on what all their customers want. Great points. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
The best way is keeping our records updated and staying in touch with the students who are currently working in the field.
Linnet,
Yes, it is very important to stay in touch with graduates who are working and those who are not. Non working grads need to be employed. How can your department assist? This is a reason why Alumni Communities are so important. You can learn about Alumni Communities through a MaxKnowledge course. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
The most effective way to build a list of employer that would hire grads is to reach out to employers, introduce the school and the department itself. Letting employers know that Career services department works closely with students assures them that the recommended student fits the position and is well trained. Also, visiting employers and having a visual insight of where you are referring the student will allow us, as career services coordinators make a match for what the student is looking for. Keeping very close relationships with employers, inviting them to the school and activities they may benefit from; can also be an effective way to not only build the list but retain employers to be part of the school.
suzet,
We totally agree. We think that one person on staff should be the Community Outreach person. That person needs to be out in the community every day meeting current and potential employers. The representative needs a list of talking points such as how well your grads are doing on the job, what additional skills need to be taught so they are work ready, and job and externship openings. We agree that relationships need to be built. Employers can go to your school to participate in many many ways for mutual benefits. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
A practice that our program has established is conducting both an employer and employee satisfaction survey.
The employer survey requests assessment of skills, contributions and value as related to employee performance. This provides valuable feedback as to which skills (or lack of) from our program that are beneficial.
The employee survey requests assessment of compensation, benefits, working environment, leadership/management and opportunities to learn and advance. This provides valuable feedback if this is a beneficial company to work for.
Jennie,
Staying in touch with employees is so great and important for success, in our opinion. It is a key to getting good information, It is dependent on how information is obtained. Your survey sounds great. We find that to get results surveys may have to be short, easy to take, and allow for comments. We also find that telephone and in person surveys garner a lot of unexpected information. The fact is that employers are your customers and have to be treated that way. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Since our student population have varying disabilities, it is important for our program to create relationships in many different fields and to hold tightly onto those relationships. Although our Job Developers do approach some businesses cold calling style, we have many companies that we work very closely with because they hire our students at their various locations throughout the tri-county area. We have donors that also hire our students at their sites, further showing their investment in our program.
Our department heads also attend various networking events in their fields offered by professional groups in the area.
We recently held an event to recognize and thank the companies that employ and intern our program. We also invited potential companies to interact with our current ones to see what we have to offer.
Amanda,
It sounds like you are overcoming many challenges that surround hiring people with challenges. You are educating employers about the benefits of hiring people with disabilities. You are training your grads to be work ready. You are communicating with employers to learn exactly what they need and possibly training they will need in the future. It sounds like you have a great community outreach program that benefits employers, your school, graduates, and the entire community. Thanks Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Several of the companies who take on our externs tend to also be companies that are on the "short" list. Our goal with externships is to find sites where there is hiring potential. We are fortunate that the we have so many potential employers as the school has matched the programs we offer to what our city has to offer for employment.
I also find that attending events and being involved with the community through the various Chambers of Commerce is very helpful in building relationships with potential employers.
Viola,
We also agree that externships can provide the road to employment and can function as an extended interview. That means that both the student and the externship site have to be prepared and have the same expectations. Students must be highly trained to deal with most expectations at the worksite. The externship requirements have to be clear and measurable. Externship supervisors need a manual to know how to consistently manage and evaluate the process. It's great to participate in community events and visit employers. We feel it is vital that each school ask employers how work-ready their grads are and add training where it might be missing. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
We are using the community needs to search for employment for our students
the most effective way is to search in the community
Martha,
It is amazing how easy it is to find job openings when a school stays in touch with employers. It does take getting permission from grads to contact their places of work. It takes having a school representative contact all other employers to ask about job openings and training needed.
Dr. Susan Schulz
Martha,
Community outreach is a daily job.
Dr. Susan Schulz
1) Employers who have previously hired our graduates, 2) asking advisory board members for other employers (possibly their competitors) that hire entry-level employees, 3) connect with staffing agencies that hire for that industry, 4) an internet search of open entry level positions, and, 5) ask your instructors!
What are the most effective ways to build a list of employers who are likely to hire your graduates?
I think the most effective ways to build a list of employers who are likely to hire your graduates, is to:
1. Be involved with the industry that will potentially hire your graduates
2. Host seminars and ask the potential employers to be guest speakers
3. Keep abreast of the skills the potential employers are seeking in candidates
4. Ask potential employers to come and critique your curriculum
5. Host job fairs that have been properly advertised to attract the types of candidate potential employers want to hire
6. Ask for feedback from the employer and student
7. If a change is needed, don't hesitate to implement the change and ask for feedback
8. Ask employers if you can add them to a list, once they have hired your graduates.
9. Ask the employer what makes that graduate standout above graduates of other schools.
10. Build a list that is honest and attractive to your potential students.
These are just a few things that I think will build a sold list of employers for graduates as well as prospective enrollment
I am a firm believer of using the resources you have at hand. This being said I am constantly in contact with teachers. They are the ones who have worked in the field and in my situation they have also worked in the area. They are constantly getting me in contact with employers in the area. They help build that relation so we can better help our students.
I also am an active member of the Chamber of Commerce. Here I meet with hundreds of potential employers who might be interested in hiring our grads. The Chamber also puts out a directory of businesses associated with them so it is easy to look through and pick out those who might want to hire our grads.
Our placement team in comprised of instructors from each program who have worked in the field that they teach. This is a great starting point because they already have a network of people that could employ the students. We also hold advisory meeting twice a year and the goal is to get new members every time. This helps expand on our employer pool. We also regular invite employers to our campus for tours and presentations so that they can see first hand the students and equipment. All of this is in addition to regular visits to local companies.
While I am just beginning to learn about the benefits of a Placement Department, what I have learned (both from this forum & working with students over the course of many years), it's all about relationships. Building them, nurturing them and maintaining them.
