It's Time to Flip the Narrative
Being part of an advisory board for your local vocational-technical high school isn’t just about giving back to the community. It’s not simply about being a good corporate citizen. And it shouldn’t be something you do because your boss asked you to.
It’s about your future workforce.
Think about the young people sitting in those classrooms today. In just a few short years, many of them will be entering the workforce. Some will go directly into employment. Others will continue on to college, apprenticeships, or additional technical training.
Either way, they are your future employees, future technicians, future engineers, future supervisors—and potentially future leaders.
So perhaps it’s time to flip the narrative around industry engagement with our vocational-technical schools.
Stop thinking of it as giving back. Start thinking of it as building forward.
Throughout my career in the local technology ecosystem, employers consistently talked about the challenges of finding people with the right skills and competencies. Come to find out, many of these skills were basic.
Employers need young people who know how to communicate, how to show up prepared and on time, how to work as part of a team, how to troubleshoot a problem, how to think critically, and how to learn something new when the technology inevitably changes.
The list goes on and school's are busy and a bit overwhelmed working hard with every student to help them develop these skills. But they can't—and shouldn't—do it alone.
Industry has a critical role to play.
Your employees can help students understand what happens beyond the classroom. They can bring real-world problems into the learning environment. They can help educators understand how technology and job requirements are changing. They can provide internships, work-based learning, mentorship, equipment, projects, and ultimately, opportunities.
And they can help shape the programs that are preparing their future workforce.
An advisory board should be more than a meeting.
Too often, industry advisory boards become a check-the-box activity. A meeting happens. People introduce themselves. The school shares updates. Industry representatives offer a few comments. Everyone agrees that collaboration is important.
Then everyone goes back to their day jobs.
There is an enormous opportunity to do more.
A strong industry advisory board should be a working partnership—one that helps a school understand where the industry is going AND helps employers develop the talent they will need to get there.
What technologies are emerging?
What skills are becoming more important?
What skills are becoming less relevant?
What certifications or credentials matter?
What does an entry-level employee really need to know on day one?
What are employers struggling to teach new hires?
What opportunities exist for students to experience the workplace before they graduate?
These are the conversations that can transform an advisory board from a requirement into a strategic asset.
This is where IndustryReady Partners comes in.
IndustryReady Partners helps schools build stronger, more strategic connections with industry.
We believe the most effective partnerships begin with a simple shift in perspective:
Industry engagement isn't an obligation. It's an investment.
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