AN OVERVIEW OF THE VALVE CAREERS INITIATIVE Helping members find and recruit young workers
HUMAN RESOURCES WORKSHOP Nov. 9-10, 2015 Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA
Presented by Tracy Fairchild, Communications Committee
Chair, and Greg Johnson, Vice Chair
AN INITIATIVE OF THE
IN THE BEGINNING
• Late 2013: VMA Communications Committee discusses proposal from Greg Johnson on how to attract the younger generation to work in our industry
• Committee wholeheartedly endorses plan; VMA member survey confirms need for program – 90% of members have trouble filling jobs at all levels
• VMA Board approves development of and funding for initiative
• VMA Director of Education Judy Tibbs and new Program Coordinator Jessica Bello are designated to carry out program
OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS
• Educate and inform high school and college-aged people about careers in the industrial valve industry
• Help connect VMA/VRC members to the next generation of workers.
• Target audience:
– High school guidance counselors
– Career directors at technical schools and community colleges
– Universities offering both bachelors’ and masters’ degrees
HOW WILL WE ACCOMPLISH THIS?
• Disseminate the Valve Industry Careers brochure
• Spread the word through ValveCareers.com, social media, video and a PR program
• Go where the students are, i.e., career fairs
• Build relationships with schools/colleges
• Engage VMA members in this initiative and provide them with appropriate tools
• Developed list of Human Resources personnel from
member companies
– Still need responses from some companies
• Several dozen Young Valve Professionals (YVPs) have
been nominated by member companies.
– Seeking additional YVPs to ask as spokespersons/ advocates
– Only use first names, employer not identified
OUR ACTIVITIES SO FAR
continued
• ValveCareers.com launched in spring 2015.
– Overview of program, info on VMA and industry, job categories
– YVPs on home page, with links to their “stories”
– Names and links to all member companies
– Online form for submitting brief resumes; available to members via Dropbox
• Valve Careers social media active
– Best results from LinkedIn, followed by Twitter, then Facebook
OUR ACTIVITIES SO FAR
continued
• Developed Valve Careers brochure as well as flyer that can be personalized by members
• Emails sent to college career centers, primarily in Texas (will expand outreach)
• Packets mailed to VMA member HR contacts and official reps in September – Included brochure, customizable flyer, order form
and HR Workshop program info
OUR ACTIVITIES SO FAR
• Texas State Technical College’s career director contacted us about our program.
• VMA Communications Committee invited representatives from TSTC to meet with them
– `Randy Wooten, vice chancellor, and John Kennedy, development director, spoke with committee.
• TSTC has a business-based model with mission to provide students with real skills (the old “craftsmen” model).
AN EXAMPLE: PARTNERING WITH TSTC
• The college is launching a program in Industrial Maintenance with first graduates due in 2 years.
• TSTC agrees to add a Valve Repair track if supplied with appropriate curriculum.
• Subsequent meeting with Greg Johnson at United Valve resulted in curriculum for this track being turned over to TSTC.
• Program could be a model for future endeavors with technical schools
PARTNERING WITH TSTC
• Aid membership in better understanding the
Valve Careers Initiative
• Offer guidance and resources to assist
members in locating and hiring young workers
• Learn more about members’ needs and
experiences
• Provide networking opportunity for members
WHY AN HR WORKSHOP?
• Video of HR Workshop presentations to share with wider VMA audience
• Produce short industry recruiting video early 2016, based on conversations with YVPs
• Compile list of career fairs/events to share with members.
• Procure list of high school guidance counselors; email with offer to send brochures, answer questions, connect them with member companies
• Expand outreach beyond Texas to locations such as Ohio, Illinois, Eastern Seaboard and, concurrently, Canada
• Finalize activities for Careers Initiative in 2016 and begin development of 5-year plan for program.
NEXT STEPS
• Make sure we have your current HR contacts.
• Select one or more YVPs from your company.
• Tell us about schools in your area you would like us to include in our outreach program.
• Order brochures and/or personalized flyers.
• Share your recruiting success stories with VMA and other members!
HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE
THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!