An excellent place to find candidates who already
possess a lot of these qualities is the military. Every year
more than 200,000 people transition from the military
to civilian life. Companies are tapping into this candidate
pool via Hiring Our Heroes career summits and events.
At the career summits, service members and their spouses
can connect and interact directly with hiring companies.
Hiring companies have the opportunity to educate,
inform, and inspire potential candidates about their
industries and their companies. Many hires are actually
made at the summits or shortly thereafter.
BECOME AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE
Attracting and retaining the best people goes a long way
in any industry, but it is crucial in an industry like ICT
that is already stressed by labor shortages and skill gaps.
Liz Oplatka, a facilitator and business coach, explains,
“We know from Gallup that employee turnover costs
businesses $2 trillion a year nationwide. On average for
companies with 100 employees, that number is a staggering
$1.6 million per year. That, for many companies
is the difference between breaking even and ending the
year in the black.” As an organizational development
and change management leader, Oplatka goes on to say,
“When companies do the work to become that great company,
the revolving door stops.” To get to that point, decision
makers need to commit their organizations to doing
the hard work of creating a culture and an environment
where people are engaged and want to be there. It is
possible. Oplatka says, “Companies that move in that
direction are often rewarded handsomely in terms of
employee satisfaction and engagement. I’ve seen it over
and over again. The company becomes a better place to
work, employees are happier, they’re not looking to leave,
and guess what? It shows up in a big way in the bottom
line. For many reasons, satisfied, engaged employees are
key to meeting financial and customer demands.”
CONCLUSION
Whether it is finding a way to be seen in the vast array
of career opportunities, equipping the next generation
of installers and network designers with certifications
and skills that serve evolving ICT roles and jobs or
making the industry appeal to young students, the task
66 I ICT TODAY
of driving people to the ICT industry and filling open
positions is daunting. As the world is quickly becoming
interconnected via devices, the ICT job market will
continue to be strong. BICSI along with their authorized
training providers and other educational institutions
continue to collaborate and deliver highly trained and
certified professionals to combat the ICT talent shortage.
However, there needs to be increased collaboration and
innovative strategies between colleges, certification
organizations, trade groups, manufacturers, ICT employers,
government, and end users in order to tackle successfully
a challenge of this magnitude.
The key focus ahead: connecting people to an industry
that is all about connecting people and devices.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Randal R. Reusser, RCDD, TECH, CT,
has taught over 50 BICSI certification classes. He is also an electronics,
IT, and ICT instructor for Gateway Technical College
where he has been employed for 16 years in the Business and
Workforce Solutions Division. Since 1980, Randy has acquired
extensive experience in electronics, IT, ICT, and technical management.
Prior to his current employment, he worked as a team
leader, technical services manager, and electronic technician/
assistant manager. He has been published in eleven publications
and has earned over 60 technical certifications. Randy received
a diploma in electronic servicing from Milwaukee Area Technical
College, an Associate of Science degree as an electronic technician
from Gateway Technical College, a BS in business administration
from Carthage College, and an MBA from Marquette
University. Randy serves on the BICSI Board of Directors as the
newly elected U.S. North-Central Region Director. He can be
reached at reusserr@gtc.edu.
REFERENCES:
1. Patrick McLaughlin and Jared Saunders et al., “Results of the
Cabling Industry’s First Comprehensive Salary and Wage Study,”
CI&M Magazine. https://www.cablinginstall.com (1 March 2019).
/www.cablinginstall.com
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