Grad Retention in Penticton
The Penticton Chamber invited Trevor Knowlton District Careers & Apprenticeship Coordinator with School District 67 (Okanagan Skaha) to their June 23, 2022 board meeting to discuss how the chamber can assist with keeping graduates in Penticton to help fill the many vacant employment positions. The conversation was very informative with a number of great of ideas that would be helpful to businesses seeking employees.
1. Rather than asking for a resume ask candidates to submit a video sharing information about themselves such as their hobbies, skills, and any prior experience. This is less intimidating, easier and more fun opposed to them writing a resume.
2. Including “must have driver’s license” or “must have a vehicle” as a prerequisite may deter possible candidates as more and more of the younger generation are choosing to delay getting their driver’s license and may not have access to a vehicle.
3. Another way to assist with keeping local talent is to start engage students at a younger age. Targeting grades 10 and 11 students to become familiarize with your business may entice them to stay. It is highly recommended that positions offered be either part-time positions and/or small projects. Trying to fill full-time positions is not recommended as the students are normally too busy with their studies. By posting as a full-time position, the opportunity could fly under the radar of students looking only for part-time work.
The SD67 CAREER Dept site helps connect students looking for new work opportunities with great employers and is extensively visited by students.
The good news is that the bulk of trade graduates Trevor works with talk about working in the Okanagan when they graduate and gone are the days when they talked about going to Alberta for work.
