On September 13, a group of thirteen job developers and business service representatives gathered at Legoland to learn more about the company and its employment opportunities. This new type of event, referred to as an employer social, was the third to take place this year — the first happening at SeaWorld and another taking place at Aquatica this summer. The socials seek to unify the workforce development system by streamlining information sharing among employers and regional workforce development agencies.
Through these private tours and presentations, individuals serving job seekers and employers gain valuable information on current hiring needs, peak hiring season(s), company hiring processes and how to establish a direct referral process with each employer. The goal is to provide a better understanding of how a company hires and how employment service agencies fit into that picture. The benefits are two-fold — employment service representatives can better prepare candidates to get hired and employers receive pre-screened candidates that are likely to be a better fit than a traditional public applicant pool provides.
Eighteen San Diego County employment agencies, serving both adults and young people, have taken part in one or more employer socials.
- Access, Inc.
- CONNECT2Careers
- San Diego Workforce Partnership
- KRA
- Expanded Subsidized Employment
- Goodwill
- Interfaith Community Services
- International Rescue Committee
- Public Consulting Group
- ResCare
- San Diego County Office of Education
- San Diego Futures Foundation
- San Diego Job Corps
- San Pasqual Academy
- South Bay Community Services
- Sycuan Inter-Tribal Services
- Turning the Hearts Center
- YMCA Youth & Family Services
Moving forward, companies have agreed to send out employment opportunities to agencies, consider agency referrals and work together on placing candidates.
CONNECT2Careers, who has taken the lead on planning these events, is working toward setting up more employer socials in the future. If your company is interested in hosting an employer social, contact Ernesto Rivera, Youth Program Coordinator, at ernestorivera@workforce.org or (619) 228-2927.