Companies are getting creative to recruit–as early as middle school.
When it comes to finding great workers, some organizations are taking unconventional approaches.
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For high school students studying to work in trade, technical, and skilled service careers, finding a job beyond the local network can be challenging. “There’s no real way for them to connect with the workforce outside of the traditional channels, which is, your dad’s in construction, go and talk to his buddies. You work on a job on the weekend. You get into the union because your uncle went there. It’s very old school,” says David Broomhead, CEO and founder of TradeHounds, a new entrant to the mobile app marketplace that allows tradespeople to connect with jobs all over the country.
TradeHounds recently partnered with SkillsUSA Massachusetts, a state association of SkillsUSA, which serves more than 395,000 trade school students. The goal is to help these students find work anywhere in the country, as well as network, showcase their work, and discuss career options. It’s early, but the app had more than 50,000 users within a few months of launch, Broomhead says. And it opens up a new world of opportunities for young tradespeople. “It’s like going from fishing in a pond to fishing in the ocean,” he says...
By Gwen Moran