Waco is Fort Hood, the largest military base in the U.S. with 40,000 soldiers on post. Each month, 700-800 soldiers retire or separate from Fort Hood. Surveys of these individuals indicate that more than half desire to stay in the Central Texas region providing an additional pipeline of young, well-trained, highly motivated individuals eager to enter the workforce. Those factors combined with five higher education institutions representing more than 30,000 college students are setting the region apart from others.
Connecting the Dots Waco is rich with education and talent resources. The community’s corporate business portfolio is diverse and balanced between Fortune 500 name brands and a swarm of regional and local companies, making their own names and quickly rising amongst the ranks of their industries as leaders. Yet, the challenging disconnection between these companies and resources has persisted, creating a new opportunity for the community. Businesses want access to the best talent available, both experienced individuals and those who will be entering the workforce. Colleges want to expose students to
experiential learning, getting them out of the classroom and into real-world work environments, ultimately leading better-qualified individuals and gainful employment for their graduates. This is not a situation unique to this community; however, Greater Waco is tackling this challenge head-on through collaboration and partnerships. A prime example of this partnership is Baylor University’s Employer Relations Specialist. Jointly funded between the City of Waco and Baylor, the position is designed to bridge the gap between education and industry by connecting local employers with all five area college campuses, further strengthening relationships and creating opportunities for student internships and post-graduation employment. Working together with the Greater Waco Chamber’s economic development team through the Business Retention and Expansion program, our organizations can provide a united approach for employer engagement and support to address the operation and workforce needs of industry.
Expanding the Reach Regularly, individuals reach out to the Greater Waco Chamber seeking connection to local employers. More often than ever before, these are individuals relocating to the community. They share resumés with the staff, which are then disseminated to a group of 400 employers through a weekly email. At the same time, an increasing number of graduates from area colleges are seeking employment opportunities that will allow them to stay in Waco, which were also shared with the group. The system, though simple, proved effective. WACOCHAMBER.COM
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