1. D EVELOPING THE Y AKIMA V ALLEY ’ S T ALENT P IPELINE Presentation to Washington Economic Development Association Conference Vancouver – June 2011

2. T HE C HALLENGE F ACING L OCAL E MPLOYERS  The Yakima Valley’s employers face a difficult time filling skilled or technical positions at their operations.  With limited higher education and technical training institutions, it is difficult for employers to find enough graduates or graduates with the right background from these local institutions.  Our “team” is using a two-pronged approach to address this issue in Yakima County:  Talent Attraction strategies  Incumbent worker training

3. T ALENT A TTRACTION AND D EVELOPMENT  For our talent attraction we worked with local HR managers, recruiters, real estate agents, and workforce council staff.  For our talent development component we worked with skill panels, the workforce council, impact Washington (formerly WA Mfg Services)  For each initiative we worked with a core group and then expanded partnerships as specific products and timelines were developed

4. T ALENT D EVELOPMENT  We started an incumbent worker training initiative to boost core and specialized workplace skills for key employees and managers at local manufacturing plants.  It started as a result of discussions with our local manufacturing skill panel  We then worked with the Workforce Council and impact WA to implement a lean manufacturing training initiatives where we helped these key workers learn how to streamline manufacturing operations;  We added a lean office component as well  We recently completed a 3-day supervisory training series  Our next course or series will focus on “Green” training

5. T ALENT A TTRACTION  We started a talent attraction (and retention) initiative recognizing that key local employers have difficulty filling professional and technical positions at their facilities.  Our advisory committee identified initial strategies to support their recruitment efforts.  We created two websites, www.liveyakimavalley.com and www.workyakimavalley.com to support company recruitment efforts.  We trained over 60 local leaders to help in specific situations involving newcomers to the Yakima Valley. These “Ambassadors” can help host key job applicants and new employees.  We host receptions several times a year for new employees. Our ambassadors help hosts these events and we provide an overview of our community at the receptions (history, schools, local government, health care options, etc.)

6. P ROGRAM M ETRICS AND O UTCOMES  Talent Development Metrics :  Number and types of companies participating (70+)  Number of incumbent workers trained (250+)  Number of trainees in entry level management or promoted to management (?)  Number of follow-up impact WA project (or other partner projects) (6)  Private funds or in-kind resources donated to support training. ($40,000)  Talent Attraction Metrics :  Number and type of visitors to websites (1600 per month)  Number of “newcomer” ambassadors trained (65)  Number of receptions hosted and number of newcomer attendees (5 events – 62 guests)  Number of people attracted to area due to initiative (?at least two)

7.  Communities cannot wholly fill the talent pipeline with existing education and training institutions.  Using WIA dislocated worker funds to train incumbent workers can make an impact at companies and help them improve skills for key workers  Upgrading worker skills in turn helps the company maintain competitive position  Employers need all the help they can get when trying to attract technical and professional workers from outside the area;  Helping companies fill key positions promotes business retention and competitiveness  Filling these positions is somewhat similar to creating new jobs in your community (esp. if these position go unfilled or are hard to fill).  With baby boomer retirement unfolding both talent development and attraction are critical L ESSONS L EARNED

8. U NIQUE AND R EPLICABLE  Our talent development initiative that focuses on incumbent worker training has won state and national recognition.  Talent development depends on partnerships between EDCs, Workforce councils, training providers, and companies  Funding to subsidize or jumpstart these initiatives is important  Gauging industry’s ongoing needs for professional training is essential.  Our talent attraction efforts are unique (to our knowledge) in the Pacific Northwest. We found models to follow in Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia  It is fairly easy for communities or regions to develop a talent attraction (and retention) initiative  Ask yourself if you have “welcome” and “jobseeker” websites catering to professional and technical employees.  Our initiative has cost approximately $5000 over the last couple years, and there are opportunities to do this cheaper or increase investment to add more elements.  This is one of the most popular initiatives we have ever mounted for our top end employers

9. F OLLOWUP OPPORTUNITIES  Talent Development:  High performance team building  Green training and certification  Train the trainer  Talent Attraction  Increase utilization and effectiveness of ambassadors  Host career counselors from state and private colleges/universities  Develop YouTube video series featuring new people in our community.  Generally we need to develop clearer metrics for both these initiatives. We have good data on process, participation, and effort. Now we need to measure and determine the impact of these initiatives on participating companies.

10. David McFadden President Yakima County Development Association PO BOX 1387 Yakima, WA 98907 509-575-1140 -- 509-575-1140 -- davemc@ycda.comwww.ycda.comwww.liveyakimavalley.comwww.yakimavalley.bizwww.workyakimavalley.com Is It Time for the Reception Yet?!?