The importance of staying committed to college talent recruitment

As businesses navigate through these uncertain times and the new realities posed by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, talent development continues to be a key strategic goal for our region.

While your business’ hiring plans may be on hold or evolving, remaining connected to the talent pipeline at local colleges and universities continues to be a critical component to success both within your business and throughout the West Michigan region.

The career center offices at our area higher education institutions have continued to operate remotely and their staff are eager to connect employers with students for internships, entry-level hiring, workshops and more. Reach out to the following career center directors to set up a student outreach plan that fits your needs:

• Aquinas College: Dana Hebreard, Director (dmh005@aquinas.edu)
• Calvin University: TaRita Johnson, Director (tdj4@calvin.edu)
• Cornerstone University: Kevin Lavender, Director (kevin.lavender@cornerstone.edu)
• Davenport University: Shelley Lowe, Director (shelley.lowe@davenport.edu)
• Grand Valley State University: Troy Farley, Director (farleytr@gvsu.edu)
• Hope College: Shonn, Director (colbrunn@hope.edu)

College students are also increasingly active on the Handshake platform, so it is encouraged for businesses to continue posting opportunities there. In addition to ongoing summer internship searches, many students may be interested in filling temporary positions created in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, like increased grocery delivery services and warehousing staff.

Investing in higher education by providing job opportunities to current or recently graduated students continues to be important to our region’s success. In order to keep talented students in our workforce pipeline, it is essential to create multiple paths for continued growth at a local level.

Let’s all work together to keep our region strong during this unprecedented time.