• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

What to do when your workforce is both your biggest strength and your biggest weakness

By Becky McCray

Clint Kolby, Project Manager at Brenham (Texas) Economic Development Foundation, (population 16,000) shared this story at the recent LCRA Economic Development Forum where I was a speaker, and I knew you’d want to hear it, too.
–Becky 

Through our Business Retention & Expansion Program (BREP) we were able to identify that the strongest and weakest aspect of doing business in Brenham is our workforce. On one hand, businesses feel that Brenham has a very loyal and skilled workforce. On the other hand, the lack of available skilled workers was a major constraint whenever they considered expanding their operations.

A student receiving training at the Hodde Tech.
Ed. Center, in Brenham, Texas. 
 

A Workforce Maximization Group was created, which consists of representatives from the Brenham Economic Development Foundation, the Director of the A.W. Hodde Jr. Technical Education Center at Blinn College, the Career & Technical Education Director with Brenham ISD [Independent School District], and the Guidance Counselor with Burton ISD, to find a solution to help local companies get the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed. One of the ideas from the group was to target graduating seniors from the Brenham and Burton High Schools who are entering straight into the workforce and provide them with the advanced training they need from the Hodde Tech. Ed. Center so that they will be ready to find a job with a local company.

The Hodde Tech. Ed. Center

To begin the process of targeting these students, we sent out a career survey to all graduating seniors to determine who is going to a 4-year university, a 2-year college, a trade or technical school, or entering straight into the workforce and also to figure out what industries they would like to work in as a career. We also reached out to the local business community to find out who was hiring, and if so, what type and how many jobs they were looking to hire.

After we receive the surveys from the students and businesses, the plan is to hold a “mini” career fair to help match those students with a business according to their career interest. If a business decides they would like to hire one of the students, the Hodde Tech. Ed. Center would be a part of an after-school program to provide the advanced training the student would need to work for that particular company. The goal is to have the student trained and ready to work upon graduation from high school.

If your town doesn’t have a project to connect kids with existing jobs, you’re missing a big opportunity. The graduating high school students who aren’t planning to go to college won’t just automatically find out what jobs are available and what skills they really need. This is one example of a way to guide them. 
Thanks to Clint Kolby and the Brenham (Texas) Economic Development Foundation for sharing it with us. 
–Becky

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • How small town businesses can market to remote workers and turn them into new customers - May 15, 2023
  • Survey of Rural Challenges 2023 results - May 8, 2023
  • Rural and small town ideas from the OU Placemaking Conference IQC 2023 - April 5, 2023
  • Rural tourism trends say small towns are still cool - March 27, 2023
  • Move Your Money and Bank Local - March 22, 2023
  • Using a building as a warehouse or storage in a small town? Put up a sign - March 13, 2023
  • How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores - February 19, 2023
  • Check your small business website for outdated pandemic changes, missing info - January 31, 2023
  • Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors - January 15, 2023
  • 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses - December 26, 2022

March 12, 2012 Filed Under: economic development, rural, workforce, youth

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local" Move Your Money, bank local, invest local Multicolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week" Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

Holyoke Hummus Company cart

How one food business keeps adapting, from table to cart to truck, to restaurant and back again

Make extra money from extra workspace: co-working and 3rd workplaces in small towns

Newspaper story headline says, "Made in Dorrigo Markets a bustling success"

Boost your maker economy with a “Made in” day

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2023 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in