Mike Santora • Associate Editor
The challenge to find high caliber talent for the industrial distribution industry is greater than ever. That is a task the Industrial Careers Pathway (ICP), an alliance of trade associations like NAHAD and others, is working to overcome. To do this, ICP is advocating for more participation by distributors in career fairs, classroom talks and company tours. Research has shown these types of events help young people learn about industrial distribution as a career choice in their local communities.
ICP recently participated in Illinois-based Prairie State College’s Manufacturing Day career fair in early October. Piggybacking on manufacturing’s big day, the ICP’s goal was to build awareness of additional careers available in industrial distribution and the industry’s manufacturing partners.
Chirag Patel, general manager, Radicon USA, a manufacturer of gear reducers and a PTDA member company, assisted ICP staff in hosting the booth. By participating, he helped educate more than 200 college and high school students about the many career opportunities available in industrial distribution. Patel learned about ICP through his involvement in the PTDA and volunteered as an ICP Ambassador.
“Participating in this career fair was absolutely refreshing! I had the opportunity to meet young adults who were eager to learn and explore employment, some even seeking to build a career in power transmission,” he said. “I also met faculty members who were anxious to help cultivate programs to prepare students to be better suited for our future recruitment needs. It was a fruitful day. I was energized by the environment and have a few candidates for some of our entry level positions.”
Any employee whose company is a member of an ICP Alliance Partner association can become an ICP Ambassador Corps volunteer. In addition to showcasing entry-level careers in industrial distribution, ICP develops and delivers programs, services and tools to help industrial distributors recruit, hire, manage, train and retain entry-level employees.
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