Many community-based workforce providers focus on serving a distinct population. Although this approach is laudable, it is often too limiting to fit the needs of area business and industry. Give some consideration to expanding your service population. You can continue to serve a distinct population while broadening your applicant pool and making your program (and therefore your customers) more attractive to local employers. Seek out other potential workers.
- New entrants to the labor force: This includes high school and college graduates and non-graduates as well as individuals who have been out of the workforce for many years. Due to labor shortages at the entry level, many employers in both public and private sectors are willing to hire these workers as long they express a positive attitude and come to work on time.
- Dislocated workers: These former managers, professionals and production workers face barriers to employment including outdated skills, deficits in basic skills or age discrimination.
- Special populations: These individuals included disabled, age 55 or older and ethnic minorities with English language deficits. This group faces barriers to employment - limited mobility, speech, hearing or physical impairment - that are also barriers to recruitment.
- TANF (welfare) recipients: Federal reform legislation provides a specific focus on training and employing TANF recipients to help them move from dependence to self-sufficiency. But, often, this group carries more barriers to employment than the other job seeker groups.
WorkforceUSA.net is a collaboration of workforce development organizations and professionals. On their website, you can find a wealth of online resources. This links takes you to their recruitment strategies for: dislocated workers, new entrants to the job market, special populations and welfare recipients.
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