It seems our efforts to share manufacturing career opportunities are beginning to bear fruit. From articles in HV Mfg magazine to the GoMakeIt.org website and its videos highlighting people working in manufacturing to our support of the Hudson Valley Pathways Academy and more educators from across the region are increasingly turning to us to help them connect with the manufacturing sector and the great careers we have.
At schools throughout the Hudson Valley students are increasingly being exposed to the amazing career choices available to them through the manufacturing sector. Council of Industry member companies have been at career fairs and featured prominently in the end of year presentations made at the PTech Program.
Ulster BOCES Hudson Valley Pathways Academy students presented their final projects of the year to an audience of educators, industry leaders, and family members on May 29 at the Ulster BOCES Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning at Anna Devine. The young scholars demonstrated the work they did this past year which included several projects with Council of Industry member companies. The students also reviewed their positive growth and chose a word that described what their hopes were for the year. Positivity, self-confidence, and persistence were popular themes among many of the students. Congratulations to all on a very successful year!
On June 4, the Cornwall Central Middle School hosted a great career exploration event. The students were engaged with a diverse field of employers. The Council of Industry was well represented by members Ametek Rotron and Global Foundries, both of which demonstrated a variety of career paths available in manufacturing.
At the end of May, Valley Central High School hosted a job fair that included Council member Mechanical Rubber Products. This was a schoolwide event that included not only potential career opportunities but summer job offerings too.
There is ever increasing interest in the career paths available in the industrial sector nationwide. The Council of Industry has made it a priority to connect manufacturers with the local schools in an effort to promote the fantastic job opportunities available in manufacturing and various ways to navigate the journey. There is something there for every type of student. If your company would like to be a part of future events contact us.
The Ametek Rotron booth at the Cornwall Middle School Career Fair
The first month of Spring Semester has flown by and college students are beginning to think about summer internship opportunities. College students understand the value of interning and getting real-world experience to put on their resumes, but a good internship should be mutually beneficial. Developing a successful internship might seem challenging but there are several best practices that can help guide employers through the process.
SUNY New Paltz shared some elements that they believe help to build an effective internship program. The most important element on that list is ensuring that interns have a clear and specific project to work on. “The best internship experiences typically include one or more well-structured projects with clear outcomes and expectations. Internship programs that are undefined, lack structure, or limited to menial tasks, usually result in more work for the supervisor and lack of opportunity for the intern to develop much needed professional skills.” By identifying a project that coincides with the intern’s major and the company’s needs, both the intern and the employer can benefit greatly.
Once a project is put into place it’s important that the intern is given the proper training to complete the project. Having a structured training and on-boarding program will help to ensure the intern has the knowledge, skills, and familiarity with the organization that’s needed to succeed.
Assigning an on-site supervisor is also essential to the success of the intern. Regular supervision and feedback can provide the necessary structure and direction to make sure the project gets completed on-time and correctly. Assigning a supervisor also “provides the opportunity to mentor interns in the development of their professional skills.” Mentors monitor the interns progress, provide guidance and ensure that the employer is benefiting from the intern’s time and contributions.
Arranging networking opportunities has obvious benefits for interns but it can also be beneficial to employers. Introducing interns to staff in different departments can provide them with additional resources to lean on. It can also help your interns experience the totality of working for your organization.
Finally, it’s important to treat all interns as another professional staff member. Interns should be held to the same standards as other professional employees. Setting these clear expectations early on will help set the tone for the entire internship. Many employers hire interns that have come to love and value the company. There is a tremendous benefit in hiring an individual that you really know, rather than hiring a stranger whose trial period is on your dime.
Creating a successful internship program requires a certain amount of time and commitment for all employees involved, but the outcome is often rewarding and beneficial. These best practices are a great guideline on how to create a mutually beneficial and successful internship experience.
You can find the full article written by SUNY New Paltz here.
One of the cool features of the Council of Industry’s Collaborative Recruiting Initiative (CRI) is called “Job Target.” In enables jobs posted on our board to be sent automatically to specified Job Boards such as those at Colleges and Universities. In the coming months, we intend to use this feature to help you find the best interns for your company this summer.
We know that providing internships is one of the best recruitment strategies a company can have. It opens a channel from a school to your company, serves as a “get to know you” period where both parties get a chance to see if there is a good fit, while at the same time enables you to get some needed work done at your business. To help our members find the best intern candidates for this summer we will:
Encourage companies participating in the CRI to post their internships on our site
Offer non-participating companies the opportunity to place their intern posting on the site at a reduced cost
Use “Job Target” to post these jobs on key college and University job boards such as SUNY Binghamton, Clarkson, RPI, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Buffalo and RIT to name a few.
Interested? We hope you are because together we can attract some top talent to the region and maybe get some of the young people who live in the Hudson Valley, but attend these schools, to find a meaningful internship with you. If you are a CRI participant all you need to do is post your job and we’ll do the rest. If you are not a CRI participant contact Serena Cascarano or Johnnieanne Hansen to get your intern job posted.
How Partnering with Education Institutions can Help Identify your Future Workforce
By Guest Blogger Stephen Casa
As I travel around the Hudson Valley meeting with various leaders in industry, I hear the same concern, “We can’t find enough qualified employees to fill the positions that are being left vacant by retirement, innovation, etc.” This is where a value added strategy can benefit employers: developing collaborative partnerships with education.
The value proposition is simple, participate with an educational institution in one of the following ways: content area consulting, curriculum development, field trip provision, guest speaking, mentoring students, job shadowing, providing externship opportunities for educators, providing internships (compensated and non-compensated) for students who demonstrate readiness, sit on advisory boards, etc. All of these opportunities will allow the education institution to provide you with a glimpse of your potential workforce and it will create an opportunity for young people to learn about your business/industry. They will also be trained in your culture. Often these partnerships lead to long term employment, initially they get you what you need, prepared, employable, entry level employees.
Don’t hesitate to act, contact your local BOCES today and ask how you can be a part of the solution.
Stay connected as I will be contributing regularly with more specific instructions for engagement.
Supporting manufacturing in the Hudson Valley since 1910.
