By: Publicity For Good
The transition from education to the workforce can be one of the toughest periods in a student’s life, both for practical and psychological reasons. The challenges faced by today’s youth often arise from a lack of exposure to real-world career opportunities and skills-based training, which can leave them navigating this delicate period blindly.
To help students in such a pivotal moment, collaborative efforts between schools, businesses, and community organizations are essential to equip them with the tools they need for success.
Photo: Unsplash.com
The Workforce Readiness Challenge
In today’s job market, employers are seeking candidates who are not only skilled in the technical aspects required by the position but also reliable when it comes to soft skills like communication and teamwork. Unfortunately, however, many high school graduates enter the workforce unprepared for these expectations. This disconnect between education and industry requirements leaves many students struggling to find a job that suits them.
To bridge this gap, organizations like HireSmart Cares are fostering cooperation between schools and public, as well as private institutions in order to create solutions to address these challenges. These collaborations provide students with hands-on learning opportunities, allowing them to develop these soft skills in tandem with their hard, more technical ones.
Real-World Collaboration in Action
An excellent example of such collaborations is the one between Hiresmart Cares, the Queensboro Shirt Company, and the Broad River College and Career Academy (BRCCA), which seeks to address simple barriers such as the lack of formal attire, which often flies under the radar. HireSmart Cares secured a donation from Queensboro to donate collared dress shirts to BRCCA students.
Providing professional attire to graduating seniors ensures that students can present themselves confidently during job interviews and create a better first impression. After all, when you dress well for the situation, you feel more confident, which people tend to immediately pick up on.
Additionally, programs like work-based learning allow students to gain firsthand experience in industries of interest. These opportunities can be job-shadowing, internships, and mentorships which help to introduce students to real-world expectations while helping businesses nurture the next generation of skilled professionals. It’s a win-win situation: students gain valuable insights and skills, while businesses build a future-ready workforce.
The Role of Businesses and Community Leaders
As you would expect, businesses play a crucial role in bridging the education-to-career gap. By engaging with local schools, companies can offer students exposure to their industries of choice, provide internships to ease their entry into the job market, and even donate tools and resources to support their professional development.
Likewise, community leaders can help amplify the effect of these efforts by advocating for workforce development programs and encouraging company stakeholders to help out in whatever way they can. By having different institutions and sectors of society working together, communities can create pipelines of skilled workers who are ready to contribute to local economies.
Beyond High School: Alternatives to College
College is not the only way to become successful. Many students already know this and are exploring alternatives like technical training, apprenticeships, and certification programs that offer high-paying jobs without the burden of student debt. That being said, there are many still stuck on a more traditional path that might not suit who they are, which is why institutions should also expose students to these options early on.
Building a Collaborative Culture
The old saying states that it takes a village to raise a child, but the same goes for welcoming the adult into a new chapter of their life. By providing time, tools, and teaching, these initiatives help ease the community’s new workers into positions where they can feel accomplished in being a part of it.
For more information on how to get involved, visit hiresmartcares.org.
Published by: Annie P.
