By the year 2030, the State of Florida is going to need 1.5 million more jobs. Where does that leave Tallahassee? The answer is that we have a lot of work to do. That’s why this week, your Chamber of Commerce has launched a new initiative aimed at bridging the gap between employers and job seekers in our community.
We are calling this effort Talent2030 and it’s a new perspective on an old problem.
Some months ago, before we were stricken by this pandemic, our Chamber team began organizing with other community stakeholders to develop a strong network of workforce advocates. As part of those conversations, it became clear that Tallahassee has a real chance to be a regional leader in talent development as a means of growing our economy. We have a lot of the right pieces in place already— esteemed higher education, incredible value community college, technical training expertise, and world class local schools, and more. What’s missing is a system for managing the pipeline of employees that help keep our local companies growing.
With that in mind, our Vice President for Membership and Talent Development, Corrie Melton began to look for ways we could create a better system for our members and community businesses. In her search, she found a trove of resources while participating in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Talent Pipeline Management Academy. Armed with what she learned, Corrie and our Chamber Talent Committee continued to develop new strategies for how we might be able to make a larger impact in the space of workforce development. Chaired by Terrie Ard, President and COO of Moore, the Chamber’s Talent Committee has become an important gathering of thought leaders in this space.
Working with our committee members and other stakeholders, Corrie and Terrie have been instrumental in shaping the new Talent2030 initiative. There are several projects underway with this group. One of which is implementing the Talent Pipeline Management program in Tallahassee.
What is Talent Pipeline Management (TPM)? It’s a demand-driven, employer-led approach to close the skills gap that builds talent supply chains aligned to dynamic business needs. The demands of today’s economy require a strategic alignment between classroom and career, so through this approach, employers play an expanded leadership role as “end-customers” of our education and training systems. TPM is a workforce strategy for our time that can meet the needs of an ever-changing business environment.
The first employer collaborative, our Tech Talent Collaborative, will begin in September, followed by a collaborative focusing on talent in the healthcare industry. If you are a technology company or have a technology team within your company and would like more information about participating, contact Corrie Melton at cmelton@talchamber.com for more information.
Another key aspect of Talent2030 is an online platform called TalentHub. TalentHub is a system that allows both employers and job seekers to find each other in a manner that better aligns skills with opportunities. It is a system designed to assist the entire workforce eco-system with exploring careers, building skills, and finding jobs.
The entire Talent2030 initiative, including Talent Pipeline Management and TalentHub, was unveiled this week at our annual Talent Forum. Unfortunately, this year’s forum had to be virtual, but it did give us the chance to explore our options with the locally developed EventOwl platform. In a program that featured a keynote from Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, our team launched Talent2030 with many members viewing online.
The TalentHub platform is now up and running at www.talenthub2030.com. The next step is for our member businesses to create profiles and begin using the system. TalentHub is available to all Tallahassee and Leon County based businesses at no cost. The only thing we require is that you engage with the platform and help us recruit other businesses and job seekers to use it. Numerous Chamber members have already jumped in and started using TalentHub. Now it’s your turn!
The trajectory of jobs in our community may have taken a hit during the pandemic, but the need for skilled employees never left. Despite the changes in our employment market, Tallahassee still is in a much stronger place than most communities in Florida, and around the South. Our aim is to use this moment as a rally cry. We want our employers to have the best system imaginable for finding job seekers who can help them grow. As we build a strong bridge between businesses and the workforce they need, we will also see a stronger economy develop here. That’s what Talent2030 is all about and it’s a great reason for your company to engage in the TalentHub platform. Together, we can re-imagine what our workforce looks like in the future.
Jay Revell
Vice President, Advocacy and Public Policy
