Are today’s students aware of the opportunities available to them as they prepare for and enter into the workforce? What are businesses doing to partner with their educational communities to attract students to their companies and jobs? And, how can educators and counselors play a role? Collaborative partnerships between education and business are the answer.

Businesses are looking for new ways to partner with education to impact today’s youth by offering extended learning opportunities, taking part in job preparation to strengthen the future workforce, and building awareness early on to help alleviate workforce shortages. Kuder can help make this connection between businesses and education through the new Kuder Connect 2 Business (C2B) solution.

“As chairman of the board for the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce and vice president of occupational education at Estrella Mountain Community College in Arizona, I am in a unique position to connect business to education; in fact, it is one of the Chamber’s goals for this year – to expand on that concept,” said Clay Goodman. “By involving businesses in campus events, activities and recruitment efforts, we will introduce our students, early on in the pipeline, to what opportunities await them during their educational careers and after the successful completion of higher education. Showing businesses that students are working toward a career in their industry is a reassurance that an educated workforce is on the way, while the students have something to work toward – interaction with professionals in their field of interest, gaining on-the-job experience with internships and job shadowing.”

Goodman went on to say that, “these experiences make what is learned in the classroom relevant and keeps them on track for their desired careers. The Kuder Connect 2 Business feature is an exciting growth area to our strategy already being implemented at Estrella Mountain and our feeder schools. The program has great potential and we are looking forward to introducing it to our students and colleagues.”

With new advancements in technology emerging at a high rate, businesses are experiencing revolutionary changes in the way they recruit new employees and the way students and adults are seeking out future employers. Employers have seen dramatic changes in how they communicate their job openings – going from enlisting career centers or recruiters to placing a classified ad in a print newspaper and, now, utilizing the Internet to post their opportunities.

According to a National Association of Colleges and Employers whitepaper, today’s “college students want personal attention that is not currently met by job-search boards or through online applications.” 1 The paper went on to state that based on their research, “It is clear that both employers and students have solidly-formed opinions on the issue of electronic recruitment. Employers are primarily concerned with productivity and efficiency while students expect a more personalized experience.”

The new C2B solution allows businesses to align their extended learning opportunities such as internships, job shadows, and youth apprenticeships with career clusters and specifically to student interests, skills, and work values. With these opportunities tied directly to their preferences, students can enjoy the personalized approach they are looking for while employers are attracting the right candidates suited for their offerings. C2B helps business support educational initiatives, generate awareness with company profiles, and post extended learning and job opportunities to the Kuder Career Planning System.

C2B extends the career planning process another step for students – from career assessment and exploration to developing an individual education plan and, now, to discovering and taking part in related real-world opportunities. This, in turn, benefits schools and educators as students are more engaged in their academic coursework and are able to put classroom lessons into practice.

Many states, such as South Carolina, are beginning to encourage students to complete an extended learning opportunity before they graduate high school, giving them the real-world experience they need to connect what they learn in the classroom with what they will do in the future and continue to make the right choices for their career paths.

Additionally, through the state’s Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA), educators and counselors are guiding student development with an individual graduation plan (IGP) and having businesses provide extended learning opportunities is another component that can be incorporated into the IGP.

“The education and business communities in the Midlands region have a long history and a shared vision of bringing the curriculum in the classroom and the world of work to a common connection,” said Dr. Kaye Shaw, Coordinator, Midlands Regional Education Center and member of the statewide Curriculum Framework and Counseling Committee to implement the EEDA in South Carolina. “Connect 2 Business is the perfect tool to realize that vision of making sure that every young person has a chance to ‘try out’ his or her career in business or industry through extended learning opportunities. One day we will look back and realize that Connect 2 Business provided the incentive to the business community that changed our state from one with a vision to one of education and real world experience for our youth.”

Another key issue facing businesses is that they are experiencing worker shortages like never before. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one of the main factors attributing to the lower growth rates in the U.S. labor force is that the baby-boom generation is aging and retiring. 2

Some specific industries are experiencing an even larger crisis and looking for ways to combat the shortages, a few include:

• Healthcare: “By 2020, the demand is expected to grow 40 percent, but supply is only projected to increase six percent.” 3
• Aerospace: “Roughly a quarter of the nation’s 637,000 aerospace workers could be eligible for retirement this year, raising fears that America could be facing a serious skills shortage in the factories that churn out commercial and military aircraft.” 4
• Manufacturing: “Manufacturers say they face a twofold problem in attracting young people to skilled trades: outmoded stereotypes of Henry Ford-style assembly lines; and the widely held belief that four-year degrees are prerequisites for success. The association [National Association of Manufacturers] has launched a $2.5 million pilot campaign in concert with Kansas City, Mo., manufacturers to promote manufacturing jobs to young people there.” 5

While businesses are spending millions on recruiting and other awareness programs, C2B provides a cost-effective solution that promotes educational partnerships and helps students and adults find opportunities that match their interests and career goals for long-term satisfaction and success. With the ability to target market specific extended learning opportunities, job opportunities, and tuition assistance programs that are matched to the right students and adults, C2B helps businesses gain quality, well-trained individuals with similar career aspirations and industry interests.

We will begin to launch Kuder Connect 2 Business with programs starting this summer and fall. For more information the new solution and how it can work for you and the businesses in your state, contact us at 800.314.8972 or info@kuder.com.

1 Case, J., Christensen, L., Moeller, R., and Hughes, H. NACE Technology Committee – NACEWeb White Papers Subcommittee. “Bridging the Gap Between Student Expectations and Employer Reality: Electronic Tools and College Recruiting” 2004. National Association of Colleges and Employers

2 Toossi, M. Employment Outlook: 2006-16. “Labor force projections to 2016: more workers in their golden years.” Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monthly Labor Review, November 2007, pp. 33-52.

3 “Try Short-Term Workforce Shortage Fixes with Long-Lasting Benefits” HFMA Wants You to Know Volume IV, Issue 1. 2005. Healthcare Financial Management Association.

4 Montgomery, D. “Aerospace industry fears aging workforce’s impact” 1/20/2008 McClatchy Newspapers

5 Wegner, J. “Industries Brace for Skilled-Labor Shortage.” 2/17/2005 Omaha World-Hearld

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