Ross: Connecting Employers with Educational Providers

The number one issue facing Franklin County employers is a lack of available employees.  Regardless of the industry sector, employers are struggling to recruit and retain workers, which in turn has created operational challenges. 

Employers have increased wages, expanded benefits, and provided greater scheduling flexibility all with mixed results.  The fact is that, in Franklin County, there are currently two job openings for every available job seeker.  

What can employers do to recruit more prospective employees who are eager for the opportunity to prove themselves?  Simply stated, make connections with our local schools, both secondary and post-secondary. 

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Whether it is our six public school districts, the Franklin County CareerTech, Penn State Mont Alto, Wilson College Shippensburg University, or our private parochial schools such as Shalom Christian Academy or the Cumberland Valley Christian School, they are all preparing students for the workforce.  There are myriad programs capable of placing students with employers, however if you are unaware of them, you obviously cannot take advantage of them. 

We have young energetic students who are looking for opportunities, but like employers who are unaware of the untapped potential roaming the schools, many of them are unaware of the number and diversity of Franklin County employers.  

So, how do you make those connections?  Below is a contact list of the workforce development coordinators for the respective educational providers. 

REACH OUT AND CONTACT THEM BECAUSE THEY WANT TO CONNECT AS MUCH AS YOU DO. 

It can be transformative for your business to establish a talent pipeline to address current needs as well as future ones.