Employers Gain Valuable Talent While Giving Back with The Jobs Partnership

Employers that partner with The Jobs Partnership often say they hire people based on their character more than on their current skillset. ‘Soft skills’ such as integrity, work ethic, eagerness to grow, and ability to foster healthy relationships aren’t necessarily traits that can be taught on the job; rather they are skills a person must develop themselves. These are the qualities that many employers find lacking in today’s job candidates. Fortunately, The Jobs Partnership is addressing this so-called “employment gap” by cultivating these ‘soft skills’ while fostering a deep sense of purpose in Students that attend their innovative LifeWorks training process. This no-cost training course is available to men and women who are feeling stuck in their job, underemployed or unemployed, and it’s producing highly employable candidates who are eager to use their talents and skills in the workplace.

“When I learned about the mission and objectives of The Jobs Partnership, it really meshed with with who we are and the goals for our business,” says Jeff Alexander, President of First Class Cleaners. “The idea of a ‘hand up’ instead of a ‘hand out’ is exactly what we’re all about. One of the differences between hiring folks who have gone through the Lifeworks course versus those who haven’t, is the desire to work hard and succeed.”

“LifeWorks does a very good job [of] getting the students prepared…I’m very impressed,” says Lizzette Rivera, HR Manager at Regal Marine.

As The Jobs Partnership’s Employers seek employees that will help grow their business, they turn to the Graduates of LifeWorks. These Employers have partnered with The Jobs Partnership to build up the community and in doing so, they are building up their companies as well. Working with The Jobs Partnership not only enables Employers to hire from the pool of LifeWorks Students and Graduates; it also provides an opportunity for Employers to serve as class Instructors and Coaches. This opportunity allows Students to glean directly from leaders in the workplace, so they’ll be better prepared for their career path.

“We’re looking for people who want to grow both personally and professionally,” says Tim Kuck, Vice President of Regal Marine. “We know that the only way our company grows is if people grow.”

The Jobs Partnership offers Employers access to their private Career Fair, where they can interact with LifeWorks Students, who are vetted candidates. They can also access the Orlando Job Connection, an online career site where they can search candidates and post jobs, and may also develop sponsored customized training opportunities for qualified LifeWorks Graduates to become future hires.

“The value of The Jobs Partnership is they help pre-qualify people because they’ve gone through a 12-week program that really equips them to come into our workplace,” says Tim. “So, it better equips them to have an understanding of what we might do, and helps build the discipline that places them in a better spot to integrate into our workplace.”

“We’ve received a lot of things from The Jobs Partnership,” says Jeff. “One is a lot of knowledge. We’ve dovetailed some of our core values from or through The Jobs Partnership. We’ve actually hired 5 or 6 folks who’ve gone through the [LifeWorks] program, and it’s shocking how close the values of these folks match and fit our culture. Everybody on our team that’s involved with The Jobs Partnership organization is touched, and that’s the biggest thrill for me. Forget business owner–as a person, that’s why we’re in business.”