By Jessica Horsley, Partner Relationship Manager, Kuder
11+ Years Building Education-to-Employer Partnerships | Former Director, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce
Educators and employers share one common goal: preparing students for their next step. Educators want to give students confidence, awareness, and a clear understanding of the educational and career opportunities that await them after graduation. Employers want to find future talent and understand what to teach and encourage in the classroom to prepare that talent, while building name recognition and goodwill in their community. Both sides want students to discover their interests and the career paths that align with them, and to see their strengths and aspirations turn into meaningful careers.
Getting there takes effort from both sides of the table. Educators invest countless hours in developing lesson plans and coursework, organizing career exploration activities, and coordinating guest speakers, job shadowing, career fairs, and co-op opportunities. Employers invest their own time and staff showing up at these events, opening their doors for tours, and mentoring students. Together, these efforts help students envision what’s possible for their future. They provide valuable exposure to industries and careers, but they’re only the starting point for work-based learning.
However, after all the hours of prep, organizing a large event, and coordinating every detail, both educators and employers are often left wondering…
While career exploration activities are important, they should be viewed as the beginning of the education-to-employer relationship, not a final event. The most successful workforce development systems are built on strong, ongoing partnerships between education and employers — partnerships that turn one-day career fairs into sustained work-based learning pipelines. These relationships support students and employers long after a single event concludes.
The great news is that building these partnerships doesn’t require extensive planning or complex strategies. It can start with intentional, small steps that nurture a shared commitment to student and employer success. These relationships take time, consistent communication, and success monitoring.
So how do we move from hosting events to creating impactful, long-lasting student-employer relationships that fuel real workforce development? Here are five strategies that can help build lasting partnerships, leading to student and employer success — and, in turn, communities that thrive.
Too often, the relationship only kicks into gear when someone needs something, such as a school needs a guest speaker or a career fair participant, or an employer needs to fill open roles fast. Both sides are typically willing to help in the moment, but true partnerships start well before an ask is ever made, on either side.
Regular Communication – Reach out to employers throughout the year to learn about their industry and what it takes for them to succeed. What are their workforce needs, challenges, and future goals?
Advisory Councils – A great way for employers to get involved, provide curriculum advice and planning, and weigh in on the skills development needed for entry-level positions.
Value – Employers who feel their voice is valued become invested in the process and willing to stay engaged.
A single career event can create awareness, but our goal is to build a sustainable student-employer path to success through ongoing work-based learning opportunities. The best approach always includes engagement and commitment from both the education and employer side. Students and employers alike need several interactions to truly understand what careers are available and how education plays a key role in recruitment.
Examples of touchpoints:
Each interaction is key to building a lasting, successful relationship. Students build confidence and knowledge while employers build brand awareness and recruiting pipelines. This is the shift from event-focused thinking to keeping both students and employers engaged for years to come.
One of the hardest factors to measure in any career preparedness program is the impact of engagement efforts. Career preparedness is often measured in attendance numbers. While attendance is worth recording, it doesn’t tell much about the actual success of a workforce development effort.
Instead of only asking how many students and employers participated, ask better questions — ones that highlight what went well, what needs improvement, and how the relationship is gaining strength with each event.
Examples of questions to consider:
These questions help measure impact, which in turn increases employer support and community engagement.
Too often, the conversation centers only on what employers can provide to schools, without asking what employers gain in return. Employers are deeply invested in workforce development — they face recruiting challenges, workforce shortages, and increasing competition for talent. They’re looking for ways to connect with the local community and schools to build their talent pipeline and grow brand awareness for generations to come. Schools, in turn, benefit from real-world expertise, updated equipment or materials, and a clearer picture of what local industries actually need from graduates.
So how can schools and employers create value for each other?
When both sides see a real return on their time and effort, they’re far more likely to stay committed partners in work-based learning.
Success comes after the event is complete. In most cases, partnerships truly begin during the follow-up process. Taking the time for a genuine connection makes all the difference. As the event closes, take time to talk with employers, gather their feedback, and ask about next steps. Thanking them for their participation matters too.
Key questions to get you started:
To employers: Which students showcased their career plans and skills successfully?
To students: Which employers stood out?
To both: What next steps would you like to see and be part of?
Momentum is key to building the partnership and keeping students and employers engaged.
I saw this process play out firsthand. Before joining Kuder, I spent more than a decade as Director of Existing Industry at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, working side by side with local manufacturers to understand their hiring needs and connect them with the region’s schools.
After nearly a decade of relationship-building between Montgomery Public Schools and local manufacturing partners, a unique hands-on career and technical training high school became a reality: the Montgomery Preparatory Academy for Career Technologies (MPACT). MPACT is a premier example of how these five steps create a successful work-based learning partnership, one where students excel in fields that match their interests and skills, while employers build a technically trained talent pipeline aligned with their hiring needs.
To date, more than 4,000 students have started their career paths through this unique high school experience, with successful hiring outcomes serving as the ultimate measure of success.
This achievement was the result of more than ten years of commitment to five key principles: 1) relationship focus, 2) multiple touchpoints, 3) defining success early in the process, 4) creating value for employers, and 5) continuous follow-up. When these five steps are put into practice consistently, successful partnerships and meaningful workforce development opportunities follow and MPACT is proof of what’s possible when a chamber, a school district, and area employers stay at the table together for the long haul.
Measure results often. Outcomes are key and will help tell the story of how education and employers can create long-lasting success for students and employers alike. When education and employers work together on work-based learning, students find careers where they’ll flourish, while employers develop strong talent pipelines that reduce turnover and expenses. The strongest workforce development partnerships take time, consistency, and grace. They are built one conversation, one event, one follow-up at a time.
Jessica Horsley is a Partner Relationship Manager at Kuder, where she partners with schools and districts across North America to strengthen work-based learning and career readiness programs that connect students to real career pathways. Before joining Kuder in 2025, she served as Director of Governmental Affairs, advocating for policies that support workforce and economic development initiatives. Prior to that, Jessica spent more than 11 years as Director of Existing Industry at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, working directly with area manufacturers and employers to build the talent pipelines that ultimately led to the creation of the Montgomery Preparatory Academy for Career Technologies (MPACT). With decades of experience bridging the gap between classrooms and employers, Jessica brings a rare, on-the-ground perspective to workforce development, having sat on both sides of the table building the partnerships she now helps schools and employers create nationwide.
Table of Contents
