You can help us make a difference.
Business partners play a crucial role in the learning, development, and success of our students. We invite you to partner with Northstar Career Center and become an advocate for inclusive employment by assisting and enriching the Central Virginia workforce talent pool with qualified candidates.
Being a Northstar Career Center partner looks different for every organization. At Northstar, we value and appreciate the time and opportunity our community partnerships provide for students and therefore, each partnership is completely customizable.
What Partnership Looks Like
Northstar Career Center works with partners in two primary ways:
Hiring Partners
- Northstar learns about the needs your company has for talent
- Once we have a candidate that meets those needs, we will connect with you about the match
- Northstar provides support for candidate during interview and onboarding process
- Job candidate has the opportunity to continue to use a job coach’s support until they are oriented to the job
Worksite Experiences
- Host small groups of supervised students at your place of business for 90 minutes a week over the course of 8-16 weeks
- Designed to work for both your business and our students
- Tasks students have completed with our community partners include, but are not limited to:
- Stocking, facing and cleaning shelves
- Animal care and cleaning
- Food preparation
- Landscape maintenance
- Filing, organizing and clerical office work
- And more…
- Tasks students have completed with our community partners include, but are not limited to:
- Students are accompanied by trained Northstar staff who will coach them as they work
- Worksite experiences are fully insured by Northstar
100% of employers invite our community-based learning program to return the following year.
Benefits to Becoming A Partner
While your partnership with our program undoubtedly benefits our students, there are many benefits to your organization and your staff. Some examples include:
- Provides an opportunity to take care of projects that have been on the back burner
- Improves morale
- Engages employees in a way they find energizing and rewarding
- Provides an opportunity to get to know prospective candidates and see them in action before they apply for a position
Benefits to Inclusive Hiring
Additionally, committing to inclusive hiring provides even more benefits to your organization, your staff, and your bottom line. It will:
- Diversify your company culture
- Leads to financial gains
- Increase employee motivation and retention
- Increase productivity
- Provide federal and state tax incentives
- Give you access to a vast, untapped market of prospective employees
- Increase innovation
- Enhanced reputation
Check out this resource for diversifying your company’s employee pool.
Become a Partner
If you are interested in exploring partnership options with Northstar Career Center contact Holly Peele, Director of Career Center.
