TM - April 2008 - (Page 18) [leading edge] by Dr. Jac Fitz-enz H H Playing the Futures Market ow would you like to ensure you will have the skilled people you need in the future? A few farsighted companies are doing this by committing to employment years ahead with schools producing likely talent. Internships, scholarships and career days on campus are long-standing recruiting tactics, but they no longer yield competitive advantage. A new strategy is coming over the horizon. For example, Johnson Controls is building a relationship with schools through its Future Hires Program that guarantees jobs for select students enrolled in their first year of the heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and refrigeration associate degree programs at Career Connect partner schools. These students then receive tuition aid, providing they meet attendance and gradepoint average requirements and finish their programs within two years. Graduates will work in one of six technical positions within Johnson Controls and are expected to give the company a two-year work commitment. Currently, there are eight schools around the country participating in the program. This is just one example of how a growing number of companies are providing endowment money, equipment and research jobs to schools in return for steering graduates their way. The future need for professional and technical skills is so great, waiting for the normal flow of graduates each spring is too great a risk. The battle for talent is ratcheting up to a more intense and committed strategy, and companies are becoming highly proactive. Mine Local Technical Institutions The nation’s technical schools and community colleges turn out hundreds of thousands of capable people each year. Often these are people in their 20s and 30s who could not afford more expensive college and university tuition or who had to work part time to put themselves through school. As such, they usually have realistic career aspirations and know the value of earning their way. Technical schools such as DeVry University turn out well-qualified graduates in several areas. Others such as Heald College in my part in mission-critical jobs. Look at the sources such as advertising, job boards and agencies that supplied applicants. Then, review your selection methods such as interviewing, testing and assessment for those hires. Third, check their performance. How well are they doing? What is their promotion and salary increase rate and tenure record? Then, assess the effectiveness of those processes in light of that data. Finally, ask yourself if they are adequate for the future. Based on this analysis, decide what you can do to upgrade your recruitment program. Recently, I was speaking before a large group at a national conference about moving from old to new methods. I suggested just coming up with a new tool was The future need for professional and technical skills is so great, waiting for the normal flow of graduates each spring is too great a risk. About the Author Dr. Jac Fitz-enz is founder and CEO of the Human Capital Source and Workforce Intelligence Institute. He can be reached at editor@ TalentMgt.com. of the country train people in various administrative areas such as accounting. These institutions are anxious to provide job leads for their students. They would welcome a relationship like the one Johnson Controls is offering. Every staffing consultant’s survey states strongly that recruiting is undergoing major change. Companies have to come up with new sourcing strategies to win their share of the talent pool. Starting inside the staffing function and working out through traditional sourcing methods, change is the rule. Check Your Process A good place to test your sourcing program is with a process audit. Start by pulling out the records of new hires for the past three years not enough to compete. My recommendation was to look at a new strategic model for managing the human resources function. One person put up her hand and asked how can she do that when she has so many other things to do every day? My response was to delegate some of the minutia that consumes your time; tell line managers or employees some of that is their responsibility or outsource it. If we don’t move with the market, someone else will do it for us. I’m really tired of HR people who whimper endlessly about their problems. Remember the Nike motto: Just do it! 18 April 2008 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com http://www.TalentMgt.com
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