If Children are the Future, Why Aren’t Businesses Investing in Them?
Employers should start building their talent pipeline in high school instead of focusing on recruiting college graduates.
By EXP CEO Amy Grat, as seen in the Los Angeles Business Journal on April 24, 2023.
EXP CEO Amy Grat was a Nonprofit Executive of the Year nominee at the 2023 Los Angeles Business Journal Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards in April 2023. This article was a part of the branded content supplement.
Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggests that young people start forming their career aspirations as early as age 10. By age 15, many have already made significant decisions about their future education and career paths. And yet, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, only 57% of employers engage with high school students to create a talent pipeline. Those businesses recognize the value of engaging with high school students and are developing programs to attract and train young talent.
My message to the other 43% of employers: you are missing out on a huge opportunity to position your companies for success.
Building a Talent Pipeline
Companies that partner with schools and community organizations to develop career-focused programs tend to have higher retention rates and more robust talent pipelines. We see firsthand the result of these partnerships over 23 years.
In 1999, business leaders in the maritime industry at the Port of Los Angeles invested time, treasure, and talent to create a small nonprofit organization that introduced harbor area youth to high-wage, high-growth careers right in their backyard. That organization, now called EXP, has since helped Phineas Banning High School in Wilmington to become the top feeder to California State University, Maritime Academy. Their graduates return to build careers at the companies that invested in them initially with internships, sponsored field trips, and mentors, such as the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach Container Terminals, Ports America, UPS, and Duthie Power Services, to name a few.
It Takes Just One Opportunity
A study by the National Mentoring Partnership found that students who have a mentor are more likely to enroll in college and have higher self-esteem than their peers who do not have a mentor. Teens have always needed a little nudge to see beyond their immediate horizons. However, in this post-pandemic era, schools and employers are dealing with a generation that needs much greater intervention and support to successfully navigate the challenges of the “real world.”
For the past 13 years as the CEO of EXP, I have repeatedly seen the profound impact a caring adult can make on youth at our career exploration events, guest speaker series, and internship program.
Take a skeptical sophomore walking up to an exhibitor at our GPS Your Future® Career Discovery Day. They come away with dreams of being an engineer. That student sits down for their first mock interview with an industry volunteer as a junior and stands up three feet taller, ready to go after that summer internship. Now a rising senior, they carry that confidence into the hands-on internship experience and enter their senior year better equipped to make informed choices in college and career.
And when that student graduates and is ready to enter the workforce, who do they think of first?
Every single contribution of time, talent, and treasure through partnerships with local high schools benefits the students just as much as your business beyond the bottom line.
By investing in the development of young talent, you are making a positive impact beyond your corporate social responsibility goals. In addition, you are laying the groundwork for your company’s economic future.
Together, we are bringing genuine opportunities to every young person we can reach, preparing youth to succeed in school, career, and life, and building a better future for all of us.
Host an Intern
Open your doors to host our interns this summer. Learn more at www.expfuture.org/internship
Volunteer
Speak at a school or an event. Be a mentor for a group of students. Or join us at mock interviews!
Support EXP
Every student deserves a chance to achieve a brighter future. Invest in their future…and ours!