Talent and People Recruitment

Talent and people recruitment is the new buzz in the economic development arena and Falls City EDGE is joining the effort.  We’re not alone.  The State of Nebraska Department of Economic Development has added staff in the area of talent recruitment as has the communities of Hastings, Omaha, Grand Island, Norfolk and Columbus.  Some are new to the idea and others have been at it for many years.  Falls City EDGE is making it a major focus and strategic priority in 2016 in an effort to build a quality workforce that meets the skilled needs of area business and industry.  We have contracted with Firespring to create a comprehensive marketing plan that addresses key recruitment principals that will be implemented as a widespread recruitment initiative.  We are in the initial planning stages including a situational analysis which includes input from key members of the planning team.  Once complete, we will have a plan that serves as a road map that outlines strategies, tactics, budgets, timelines and overall direction for implementing a successful recruitment campaign.

A separate collaborative effort in the talent arena is underway and includes working with Janet Ady (http://adyadvantage.com/) who is well known for her work in the “War on Talent” movement.  Thanks to the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, a consortium of communities hosted an event where Janet Ady outlined unique ways to tackle the talent issue by sharing important lessons with those of us in attendance.  She understands workforce and talent availability is a driving factor in most relocation and expansion decisions today and her framework categorizes and prioritizes strategies we can use in our workforce efforts.

Stay tuned for ways you can help in EDGE’s efforts as we move through this process in the coming months!  There are ways for you to get involved in our people recruitment efforts and we look forward to sharing our ideas.