CULTIVATING TALENT for Economic Growth

As your Chamber focuses on prosperity for all through its economic development work, it also remains focused on ensuring a strong workforce pipeline for existing companies and new companies choosing our community for growth. The workforce imperative is a challenge nationally and globally. The availability of a highly skilled and adaptable workforce is intrinsically tied to economic development because businesses choose to grow in communities with abundant skilled talent. Through its Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) program, your Chamber identified workforce challenges as a key concern for businesses of all sizes in Greater Waco. As a result, your Chamber has expanded its efforts to address workforce issues.

In 2021, the Greater Waco Chamber launched its inWaco initiative designed to attract individuals with specific, high-demand skillsets to the community. The digital campaign and companion website were strategically designed to target and recruit engineers, allied healthcare professionals and industrial technicians into the community.

In late 2023, with support from both the public and private sectors, inWaco evolved to incorporate broader affinity community messaging designed to target individuals who were interested in making a change. As the business community’s needs continue to evolve, the strategy wrapped around this initiative will continue to change as well.

In 2022, the Greater Waco Chamber expanded its workforce and talent team to convene community partners, develop a regional action plan and utilize Talent Pipeline Management to support the growing workforce needs. The early stages of this initiative focused on identifying organizations in the community that are active in the workforce space and bringing them together to gather feedback and input on next steps to align their work.

The Greater Waco Workforce & Talent Leadership Committee now convenes regularly and comprises representatives from nearly two dozen industry, education and community-based organizations. They are creating working groups and sharing ideas and best practices to prepare our workforce.

Through these meetings, the team found a need to streamline communication between businesses and education providers, inspiring the Greater Waco Chamber’s workforce and talent team to grow its program offerings.

The expanded programming comprises the Greater Waco Chamber’s Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) mentorship program, job shadowing, and internships and externships. The programs support leadership development and career success for K-12 students and teachers through work-based learning. Whether students choose to obtain microcredentials and enter employment upon graduation or enroll in college, the goal of these programs is for students to graduate with a postsecondary plan that promotes career success.

With this additional programming, the Greater Waco Chamber is strengthening the workforce pipeline to ensure the community can meet the needs of our business community now and into the future.

Engagement Opportunities

Industry Tour Days

connect local high school students with company host sites, to explore targeted industries including advanced manufacturing, logistics/ distribution, aerospace/aviation and healthcare in our region and gain valuable insight on the skills and education needed for those high demand, high growth jobs.

Job Shadow Days

connect local high school students and their teachers with company host sites to explore targeted industries including advanced manufacturing, logistics/distribution, aerospace/aviation and healthcare. Through job shadowing, students and teachers gain more in-depth insight into the skills and education needed for those high demand jobs.

Student Internships

connect industry partners with students, many of whom come from economicallydisadvantaged backgrounds, for paid summer internships. Whether students choose to obtain micro credentials and enter employment upon graduation or enroll in college, the goal of internships is for students to graduate with a postsecondary plan that promotes career success.

Teacher Externships

provide professional development for educators to explore the various aspects of a business and connect their classroom to the workplace. This summer program pairs teachers with a local host company to learn about industry trends, career pathways, and the skills required for our emerging workforce.

LEAD Mentorship Program is a business and education partnership that connects local high school students with business professionals to foster mentoring relationships that educate and expose students to various business fields and educational opportunities in the Greater Waco area. Mentors meet with their students at least twice a month during the school year from sophomore to senior year, participating in industry tours and resume-building events. Tour hosts introduce the students to business and career opportunities, expand their knowledge of career paths and empower the students with the tools they need to make educated decisions that will transform their lives.