The Challenge
After surveying local employers and talent providers, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce identified consequential disconnects. Students were unaware of the career opportunities and benefits associated with three industries essential to the region’s economy: manufacturing, healthcare, and biosciences. As a result, companies were unable to fill key jobs.
The Solution
Creating effective talent pipelines requires strong employer leadership and consistent engagement with local talent providers. Using the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) framework, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce established employer-led collaboratives. Employers participated in a thorough discovery process to pinpoint their needs and identify where they were getting their talent. With actionable data in hand, the employers led various initiatives with education partners to boost career awareness and introduce employment opportunities to interested students.
"Building a strong talent pipeline is essential to the long-term economic success of our region. Through collaboration with local employers and talent providers, we are not only addressing workforce challenges but also creating meaningful career opportunities for students and job seekers. These initiatives are a testament to the power of partnership in driving economic growth and innovation." Garrett Sheehan, President and CEO, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.
- 525Number of college students participating in Lifescience Sprints Internship Program
Career Awareness
The employers of each collaborative came together to address their shared talent pain points. After assessing the needs of employers, educators, and students, it was clear that a multi-phase Career Awareness Program could enhance students’ understanding of potential careers and create pathways into relevant training and employment. The employers also surveyed the schools to find what percentage of students were not going to college and prioritized outreach to this population.
The first phase of the program was an auditorium-style assembly for high school juniors and seniors. Representatives from each of the three collaboratives spoke for 20 minutes, outlining their industry and job opportunities, including compensation potential. Phase two was a more intimate, round-robin format where five to 10 employers shared employment opportunities to a small group of students.
While all three of the collaboratives participated in the Career Awareness Program, they took additional action to increase familiarity for their respective industry. For example, the healthcare collaborative hosted a Career Awareness Day where 150 New Haven Public Schools high school students enrolled in the Health Care Career Pathways program to experience a 2.5 hour “Day in the Life” summit for jobs identified by the employers as critical needs for their companies.
Leveraging Public Policy
While establishing partnerships between employers and talent providers is necessary for the development of career opportunities in a community, it can be difficult to secure funding to launch these initiatives. The employers strategically used resources from the Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge grant to fund training opportunities for opportunity populations.
For example, the manufacturing collaborative launched training programs for entry-level machine operators. Participants trained for six weeks before the collaborative connected the students with employers for jobs. The result: 21 participants from opportunity populations were employed. Additionally, the biosciences collaborative leveraged Good Jobs Challenge funding to support the BioLaunch program which provides opportunity talent with the credentials to enter the bioscience industry. There are currently two cohorts with 19 participants.
Postsecondary Engagement
The collaboratives were successful not only in reaching their local high school students but also establishing partnerships at the postsecondary level.
Highlights include:
- Fourteen of the manufacturing employers met with the University of New Haven’s President and the Deans of Cybersecurity, Business, and Engineering to foster stronger relationships with the University and its students.
- The healthcare collaborative established a fruitful relationship with Southern Connecticut State resulting in the creation of an adult education program where students are offered six-month courses in Central Sterile Processing and MRI Tech. The students then participated in clinicals at Yale New Haven Health. This relationship also established four cohorts of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) that will be funneled directly into the collaborative’s companies.
- The biosciences employers, representing a small but growing industry in New Haven, brought more than 525 college students to New Haven Bioscience companies through the Lifescience Sprints Internship program. These students work through the summer and are then provided training resources which earns them a certificate at the end of the program. The program also hosts frequent get-togethers for the students to meet industry professionals.
The Value in Collaboration
While the employers took the lead on these initiatives, they would not have been successful without engaging their talent provider partners. The TPM framework relies heavily on employer leadership and active collaboration between community stakeholders. For talent providers to know what they need to teach their students, they must consult their students’ future employers. Similarly, for students to be aware of the companies and their career opportunities, the employers must make themselves visible to the students.
"Strengthening the connection between education and industry is critical to workforce development,” said Anne Benowitz, vice president, economic development and workforce initiatives, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.. “By working directly with employers to establish employer-led collaboratives, we are creating targeted programs that equip students with the skills and credentials needed to be successfully hired into in-demand fields. These initiatives not only expand career opportunities for individuals but also enhance the overall economic vitality of the Greater New Haven region."
