Video Transcript
[Wendi Secrist, Idaho Workforce Development Council] The whole state is represented on the Workforce Development Council and our job is really to create and implement a statewide strategic plan for workforce development.
We need more people with college degrees. We’re the 3rd in the nation on job growth; what that actually translates into is 103,000 new jobs every year in Idaho projected for the next 10 years. And we are decidedly in a new normal. We will not have enough people entering the labor force for the jobs being created in the state moving forward. So, if we’re not going to have enough people entering the labor force, then we better figure out how to make the most of the people we do have.
Let’s connect education to careers. And how do we do that best? Through experiential or work-based learning. Integrating opportunities for people to explore what they want to do, what they’re passionate about, into their education so that they come out doing what they want; they’re able to get a job.
[Ben Davison, Idaho Central Credit Union (ICCU)] I love experiential learning because it gives a college student the opportunity to come in and be speaking a common language with the hiring manager and to know what is actually important within my organization, and so it really gives them a fair chance.
[Nathan Sandoval, Janus] You’re going to bring someone in who is building their resume and they’re going to leave. So why not partner with universities to create an internship where you’ll bring someone in each semester, teach them what they need to know, and let them move on to the next step in their career?
[Vonna Torrey, Shore Lodge] Without the programs and without the partnerships that we’ve got both from a standpoint of higher learning as well as businesses that are here, we would not at all be successful.
[Adam Scheerer, Idaho Power] At the end of the day there is a business case to be made, that is our candidate pool. We like to get the students in particular, generally our experience is the ones who pursue internships, they are generally the more ambitious students; they’re the ones who have more initiative and are more focused on their career, and so we really like to attract them in. Even if they don’t stay with us, our goal is that they’re going back and telling all their friends, and you know, they’re telling everyone about their experience with Idaho Power because that is building our candidate pool for the future, so we do it for those reasons, we do it to develop the Idaho workforce just recognizing that it is tight.
Our living wage has not kept pace with the cost of living locally, and so even our local students, they’re looking elsewhere. Money absolutely matters. We do get deeper candidate pools, we do get higher quality candidates. It helps them pay for school and I think it’s kind of that mutual benefit and I do think it’s a necessity. Free labor is gone. If we’re not paying, we’re not getting that intern.
[Ben Davidson, ICCU] There’s a lot of reskilling going on right now. We know that a lot of the jobs that are going to exist in the future don’t exist now and so getting the right talent that has those skills in the door and then engaging them and putting them into some meaningful work.
[Adam Scheerer, Idaho Power] They come in and they have fresh ideas. They’re passionate about what they’re doing. We try to hire a ton of our interns, and I think that word of mouth gets out there as well that hey, this isn’t just an experience, it’s a potential future job.
[Nathan Sandoval, Janus] The Boise State Work U program, they’ve seen a big increase in their quality of interns they’re getting as well reviews from interns as they leave by using the well established program that the university has.
[Vonna Torrey, Shore Lodge] When you’ve got a relationship with a higher education partner and they really understand you and they know what you’re looking for, that is incredibly ideal.
[Wendi Secrist, Idaho Workforce Development Council] This concept of work based learning is so important that we start integrating it into all forms of education. What we want to do is show that everyone can be engaged in some form of work-based learning regardless of how big of an employer you are, how small of an employer you are.
The things we can do when we start a movement, when we work together. So, what if, what if every Idahoan had an opportunity for work-based learning?