Page 5 - Digital Skills - Quick Start Guide 1.0
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EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
DIVERSIFY YOUR EMPLOYER RELATIONSHIPS
It is important to note that each employer partnership
Whether partnerships include direct
can serve different purposes for your Goodwill
placement for full-time employment, organization. Some employers may be great partners
internship opportunities, job shadowing or for job placement, others may be interested in
mentoring; successful collaborations with providing job-shadowing opportunities, while others
may serve as guest speakers or resume reviewers.
local employers should be embedded into
Keep your options open when it comes to
most digital skills training programs.
collaborating with employers. Often, partnerships can
develop over time and roles can change.
Although many Goodwill organizations already have
DO YOUR RESEARCH
established relationships with employers, we must
continue to improve the ways in which we connect The key here is quality over quantity. It is extremely
important to vet potential employer partners and
and foster employer relationships.
make sure they are the right fit your Goodwill
FIVE TIPS FOR BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT organization. Use LMI market data. Visit the
employer partner personally. Get a good feel for the
TIMING IS KEY FOR OUTREACH environment. Find out how they treat their employees
Be assured before reaching out to potential employer and maybe even ask about their turnover rate.
partners that your Goodwill organization is ready to
collaborate. Some employers move faster than others WHAT IS THE VALUE ADD?
when it comes to partnerships and your Goodwill One of the best ways to collaborate with a potential
organization must be ready to proceed if a new employer partner is to solve a problem for them. How
employer decides to partner. Confirm that your staff is much is it costing them to search for quality
well trained, your services are refined and employees? How much time are they investing in
participants are prepared to represent your trying to minimize staff turnover? Your Goodwill
organization positively. organization should establish the value add and be
confident in its ability to deliver the value before the
INVITE EMPLOYERS TO YOUR GOODWILL partnership commences. Communicating this to
Time after time we hear someone say “Wow, I didn’t potential employer partners is key. How can you
know Goodwill did that.” It is imperative to have provide a return on investment for a potential
employers visit your Goodwill organization to learn collaborative partner? As the old saying goes “What’s
about the types of training services Goodwill in it for me?”
provides. With that said, it is important to make sure
your Goodwill will impress prospective employer Employer Engagement Resources
partners. For example, before entertaining a potential
Information Technology employer make sure your Careers in Technology Employer
computer lab speaks to the technology world, your Engagement Toolkit
hardware is up-to-date and the environment will Employer Engagement Toolkit (JFF)
illustrate to prospective employer partners that Reimagining Employer Engagement: A
Goodwill is a viable digital skills training destination.
Toolkit for Providers (Aspen Institute)
4 DIGITAL SKILLS PROGRAMS – QUICK START GUIDE
