GRCA Commerce Quarterly Spring 2019 - 24

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MEET GREATER RDG:

A Movement that Businesses can use
By Ellen Albright, Director of Workforce Development, GRCA

Talent Gaps + the talent "war." Skills
Gaps. A disconnect between viable career
pathways and the skills needed to thrive +
succeed. The jobs of the future. A changing
workforce. Low unemployment. Economic
competitiveness factors. Generational gaps.

speaks to the trend toward focusing on
longer-term organizational design instead
of shorter-term engagement programs."

MEET
greater
RDG

As businesses turn to non-traditional
practices, alternative styles of hiring, and
overhaul their antiquated cultural tendencies and HR policies, it's important
to acknowledge that this is not impacting
just one industry or certain regions of the
country, it's a global issue.

2019

While all of these trends have been
swirling around our minds, and communities race to address them, we have to
wonder - what are the best practices out
there to not only attract the best talent, but
to attract people to the jobs of the future?
How do communities think forward to
win the talent war, and even further - how
do we then continue to keep them in such
a competitive environment?

NEIGHBORHOODS
YOU'LL LOVE

Community and economic development agencies must work feverishly to
develop talent attraction + retention efforts
HELLO greater RDG, that will positively affect long-term growth
GOODBYE FOMO and sustainability for their regions. It's no
longer just about shovel-ready sites and tax
Stated in a recent Inc.Com article, "The
incentives, rather the ability to train and
GREAT PLACES
War for Talent: It's Real and Here's Why
TO WORK IN place talent as new jobs are created from
It's Happening" by Jacob Morgan, author FIND
businesses moving to the region. Factors
+ futurist, "Employee experience is very HISTORY, HIDDEN
like transportation, housing, arts + culture,
CULTURE GEMS
much a psychological and sociological
great educational institutions and healthpursuit. Organizations are now taking
care facilities, and entertainment need to be
these pursuits more seriously as they try to truly create environments at the forefront of the conversation, forcing economic development,
where people want to show up to work. This is no longer just a tourism bureaus, chambers of commerce, anchor institutions, and
challenge that an organization can overcome with perks, higher pay, the business community to work more closely than ever seen before.
or gimmicks. Instead, the business world is turning to social scientists
Governing.com released an article recently outlining how smallto really help them understand why and how people tick. It should mid size cities are becoming better models for their peers than the
come as no surprise that industrial organizational psychology is one nation's largest economic hubs through their ability to provide
of the fastest growing professions. These scientists are influencing more affordable housing, involvement of local anchor institutions,
how we hire and recruit people, design our office spaces, lead public transit options, and tailored efforts to engage local talent. "A
and manage, and even build and run our HR departments. This number of successful examples can be found in Richmond, Va., a

greater
RDG

city that saw the second highest growth in
millennial population (nearly 15 percent)
from 2010 to 2015. A company started
by Richmond natives, New Richmond
Ventures, invests in local businesses that
are often millennial-run. In Tulsa, a group
called Tulsa's Young Professionals funds
programs that engage young professionals
in economic development and "placemaking" initiatives, which reimagine
public spaces to improve residents' health,
happiness and well-being."

Greater Reading + the Berks County
region is definitely feeling the squeeze.
With a "silver tsunami" of retiring baby
24 COMMERCE QUARTERLY SPRING 2019

http://www.Inc.Com http://www.Governing.com

GRCA Commerce Quarterly Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRCA Commerce Quarterly Spring 2019