Industrial Careers Pathway (ICP) offers many resources, most at no charge, to distributor companies who are members of one of eight Alliance Partner organizations supporting the initiative to build awareness of industrial distribution careers. In April, ICP attended the annual meeting of ICP Alliance Partner NAHAD—The Association for Hose & Accessories Distribution.
Mary Jawgiel, ICP program director, had the opportunity to speak with attendees about recruiting, hiring, and training entry-level employees from Generations Y and Z. She said to attract new talent, distributors should get involved at the local level–by attending career events in their area. Hiring has changed over the years and younger generations want to know more about what employers can offer them. Also, to successfully hire entry level talent, distributors can develop relationships within the community of influencers of 16–24 year olds who will be their future employees. Influencers include teachers, guidance counselors and parents.
Lindsey Gallik, Holmbury Inc., NAHAD representative to the ICP Steering Committee and newly elected Chair of the ICP Millennial Advisory Council said, “Industrial distribution is a great career choice for young people. It is up to us to let these potential employees know about the field by getting involved locally and talking to students at career events.”
ICP is recruiting volunteers from industrial distribution companies to serve as “ICP Ambassadors” in their local communities. ICP volunteer Ambassadors reap many rewards from their service, including raising the visibility for job openings in their own companies as well as careers in the industrial distribution sector in general.
Access to the resources available for distributor companies (many for no additional charge or at very low cost) is at IndustrialCareersPathway.org/Resources. These resources include “How-To-Guides” for everything from starting an internship to organizing a company tour for the community. Any Alliance Partner member company can also take advantage of discounts on job postings to the ICP Job Board and is highly encouraged to participate in local events.
Industrial Careers Pathway is a multifaceted North American workforce initiative supported by an alliance of industry associations including American Supply Association, Heating Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International, Industrial Supply Association, National Association of Chemical Distributors, NAHAD—The Association for Hose & Accessories Distribution, NIBA—The Belting Association, North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA) and PTDA Foundation.
ICP links students and job seekers to career paths in industrial distribution and manufacturing through partnerships with local educators and employers. For more information, visit IndustrialCareersPathway.org/Hire, contact ICP at info@IndustrialCareersPathway.org or call 312-516-2100.
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