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Technology-Based
Civic Venture Announces Regional Workforce
Talent Portal—StLouisAtWork.com
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Missouri
Governor Bob Holden was the keynote presenter at
a special StLouisAtWork.com luncheon held in February
at the America’s Center. The event served as an
opportunity to share the full scope of StLouisAtWork.com,
a regional talent portal to the region’s business,
civic and educational leadership.
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The RCGA, postnet.com and Austin-based Hire.com have joined forces
in an innovative civic venture to create StLouisAtWork.com, a region-wide
technology-driven workforce talent portal. The StLouisAtWork.com
Web site was unveiled in mid February.
The site is designed to become the ultimate online career destination
for the St. Louis region’s employers and job candidates by combining
job postings and job candidate profiles, company profiles, links
to education and training programs and educational opportunities,
workforce-related Web links, employer Web links and a variety of
other products and tools. StLouisAtWork.com is a focused effort
to attract, retain and train a multi-skilled talent pool for employers
in the region.
“Each of our business partners has made a significant investment
in StLouisAtWork.com,” according to Colette Hogan, president and
CEO of postnet.com. “The RCGA lends its considerable resources and
expertise toward building a regional workforce development initiative
that serves employers and candidates. Hire.com powers the e-Recruiter
software engine of StLouisAtWork.com that matches applicants with
employer-provided job qualifications, screens candidates to employer
specifications and notifies the employer and employee of potential
matches. We provide technical systems support, sales, marketing
and substantial market reach. During December 2000, for example,
our Web site received more than 13 million page views.”
The StLouisAtWork.com talent portal will be the centerpiece of the
RCGA’s regional workforce initiative, and is supported by a unique
public-private partnership. StLouisAtWork.com creates a common platform
to benefit both job candidates and the region’s many employers,
and strategically addresses the challenges of today’s highly competitive
labor market in new and creative ways.
“The economic development competitiveness of our region depends
on our ability to recruit and retain qualified workers,” says Dick
Fleming, president and CEO of the RCGA. “In this regard, StLouisAtWork.com
supports the mission and goals of the Regional Workforce Policy
Group convened by the RCGA and East-West Gateway Coordinating Council
at the request of the Governors of Missouri and Illinois.” St. Louis
is the only formally recognized bi-state workforce development planning
region in the United States.
StLouisAtWork.com is a unique regional asset that will be a significant
tool for numerous educational institutions, civic institutions,
skills training programs and other community-based organizations.
Civic organizations from the public, private and educational sectors
are currently being enlisted as “channel partners.” Channel partners
will receive a link from StLouisAtWork.com to their Web site. They
will also benefit through association in advertising and promotional
materials, and will have the opportunity to refer potential job
candidates into the StLouisAtWork.com database. To date, channel
partners include the University of Missouri–St. Louis and the Technology
Gateway Alliance.
“The StLouisAtWork.com talent portal provides an innovative tool
that offers an immediate and quantifiable return on investment to
employers who sponsor job postings. In my five months on the job
at the RCGA, the St. Louis region is quickly emerging with a workforce
development initiative, tied to StLouisAtWork.com, that is our competitive
advantage,” says Steve Gilbert, senior vice-president for new economy
and workforce enhancement at the RCGA. Gilbert was recently recruited
to St. Louis to lead the RCGA’s workforce development efforts, and
is also the director of the Technology Gateway Alliance. He ran
one of the nation’s leading workforce development programs at the
Memphis area Chamber of Commerce.
Through employer sponsorships of StLouisAtWork.com the RCGA is creating
a workforce development fund to provide seed capital for innovative
education and training programs in the region. Sponsoring companies
make a tax-deductible donation to the 501(c)3 workforce development
fund, and in return, receive discounts on job postings on StLouisAtWork.com,
as well as company profiles, banner advertising and additional sponsorship
benefits, based on their level of commitment.
“Employers in virtually every industry know the critical importance
of finding and keeping skilled talent,” Fleming says. “StLouisAtWork.com
will be a valuable new resource to match experienced candidates
with employers and bring a systematic approach to fulfilling workforce
needs.”
“As a company that has long promoted economic growth and a diverse
and highly skilled local workforce, Ameren UE is pleased to support
StLouisAtWork.com,” says Jean M. Hannis, vice president of human
resources for Ameren Corporation. “We realize the importance of
recruiting new talent and developing critical skills in this region,
where we have been an energy provider for more than 100 years.”
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