The Keys to Successful Vocational School Recruitment

The Keys to Successful Vocational School Recruitment

Vocational schools, also known as trade schools or technical schools, provide students with valuable career-oriented hands-on training they can contribute to your organization. Here, we are providing you with the keys to successful vocational school recruitment.

Why Should You Hire Candidates From Vocational Schools? 

Knowing why employees from vocational schools are special is important when creating a recruitment strategy. Students graduating from vocational schools are prepared for careers in specific fields. Employees from vocational schools differ from employees from a traditional four-year college in that they possess a specific skill that your typical employee might lack. Vocational graduates are ready to apply their skill set immediately after graduation. This means you will not have to spend time or money to get them job ready. 

7 Ways to Recruit Candidates From Vocational Schools

1. Identify the Needs of the Role

The first stage in the recruitment process is identifying the specific vocational skills you are looking for in a candidate. By focusing precisely on the skills your team needs, you can target the right candidates. Knowing the hard skills and soft skills required for the role will help you when targeting. Better targeting will lead to a more qualified applicant pool. This will save time when screening and interviewing applicants. 

2. Connect With Vocational Schools

Many vocational schools have career centers. Reach out to these career centers to establish a relationship with different vocational schools in your area. A benefit of connecting with schools is that their career center staff members will inform students on job openings at your organization. Another benefit of connecting with schools is that you can be a guest speaker. Visiting schools will give your organization an opportunity to build brand awareness and connect with students. By connecting with vocational schools you will be able to recruit top talent from these institutions. 

3. Attend Career Fairs

Career fairs equally benefit job seekers and employers. Trade schools regularly host career fairs, and attending them is a great way to find your next hire while generating brand awareness. Whether the career fair is in-person or online, a face-to-face interaction will be more effective in your hiring process as opposed to cold calls and emails. Help your organization stand out by sharing the work culture and any accolades your organization has earned. Making early connections with job seekers at career fairs will benefit your organization by giving you a edge over your competition.

4. Offer Competitive Pay and Benefits

Employees value work-life balance and they want to feel appreciated. Poor pay and benefits often result in qualified workers feeling demotivated, performing poorly, and leaving the profession. To recruit and retain talent, offer competitive pay and benefits. This will show candidates that you value their skills. 

5. Offer Internships or Apprenticeships 

It is common for internships and apprenticeships to lead to full-time positions. Both internships and apprenticeships allow students to apply their skill set. However, apprenticeships have some more value since they allow students to quickly improve their skills through hands-on training programs. By utilizing internships and apprenticeships you can give students the opportunity to learn more about your organization's culture, and give yourself an opportunity to assess their performance. If the internship, or apprenticeship goes well they will be more likely to accept a job offer at the end of the experience. 

6. Be Flexible  

It is important to note that vocational students might have a different schedule than traditional college students. Because of their unique availability, you should be flexible with scheduling interviews and onboarding new hires from vocational schools. 

7. Use Transition 

Transition is a workforce development solution. We help facilitate your partnerships with top training providers to build a skilled and motivated workforce. We work with a variety of organizations and offer cost-effective pricing tailored to your organization's size and requirements. To learn more about our services visit our website here.