Dive Brief:
- National Youth #HiringDay, a digital job fair, will connect employers with "young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are out of school, unemployed and disconnected from our economy" to fill millions of entry-level jobs in the U.S., according to a press release. The week-long event encourages young people to use the group's website to find job opportunities in their area and submit online applications.
- On-the-ground training and hiring events will be held locally in tandem with this online push, the release said, to remove hiring barriers. The online applications are designed to be simple and youth-friendly to ease the process further, and one-on-one text support is available to coach applicants through the application and interview process.
- Employer participants include FedEx, Hilton, Hyatt, Macy’s, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Ulta Beauty and more, the release said.
Dive Insight:
More initiatives are being created to help high school students transition to workforce readiness. With millions of jobs available across the country, employers have turned to these entry-level candidates with the hope of training them— especially in needed soft skills — and retaining them for the long haul.
In a bid to attract more young workers, employers are getting creative with job fairs, too. For some employers, traditional campus recruitment events can still pay dividends, helping them source talent with ready-made skills. For others, connecting with potential hires has meant hosting hiring parties to attract candidates who may be a good culture fit and to be heard over the din in a crowded, job-seeker's market.
Employers deciding whether to source candidates with the perfect skills or simply attract those with the right potential might consider how hiring events that include skills training could help them better assess candidates' strengths.
