Why Employers Need Workforce Organizations Like CWI

1. Employers Cannot Solve Regional Talent Shortages Alone

• The region has thousands of unfilled jobs, especially in manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, trades, IT, and hospitality. Priority sectors are documented across all enterprise plans and CWI future-of-work forecasts.

• Employers often lack capacity to recruit, screen, train, and support new hires at scale, especially in high-turnover, entry-level roles.

• Workforce boards like CWI act as strategic conveners, aligning education providers, training partners, social-service agencies, and employers under one coordinated system.

2. Employers Need a Centralized Partner to Navigate and Align the “Maze of Services”

• The CWI service opportunity hub models reduce fragmentation by bundling intake, navigation, training, wraparound supports, and job placement in a single front door for both job seekers and employers.

• Employers benefit from one point of contact that vets candidates, tracks progress, and ensures readiness.

3. CWI Provides Job Candidates with Skills Employers No Longer Have Time to Teach

• Fast Track to Top Jobs delivers 4–6 weeks of essential soft skills—attendance, punctuality, communication, conflict resolution, customer service, professionalism, and problem-solving—skills employers consistently say are lacking.

• Phase 2 provides industry-specific, hands-on training in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, hospitality, IT, trades, and professional services—aligned directly to employer demand.

• Bootcamps reduce employers’ onboarding burden by producing workers who already have:

  • Industry-recognized micro-credentials (OSHA10, ServSafe, IT fundamentals, etc.)

  • Portfolio projects and employer-shadow experiences

  • Pre-screening and coaching to strengthen reliability and job retention

4. Integrated Wraparound Supports Increase Retention—Employers Can’t Provide These Alone

Retention challenges in entry-level roles are often non-skills related. Workforce intermediaries provide supports that stabilize workers, lowering turnover:

• Transportation assistance, childcare, financial coaching, digital literacy, housing referrals, and coaching from navigators.

• The NWI Works Opportunity Hubs co-locate multiple agencies (food access, healthcare, childcare, family services, career training, transportation, and more) so barriers can be resolved before a worker arrives on the job.

• This produces employees who are more reliable, more ready to work, and more likely to stay.

5. Employers Receive a Ready-to-Hire, Pre-Vetted, Support-Backed Talent Pipeline

• The Engage → Prepare → Connect model ensures job seekers move through assessments, coaching, skills training, and career matching before being referred to employers.

• Employers can co-design curriculum, participate in hiring events, and use apprenticeships, micro-placements, and OJT to test potential hires with reduced risk.

• Employers gain workers who have already demonstrated soft-skill improvement through measurable pre/post assessments and portfolio-based evidence.

6. Workforce Organizations Reduce Hiring Costs and Improve Productivity

• CWI and NWI Works leverage state/federal funding streams such as WIOA, OJT subsidies, and apprenticeship incentives, reducing the direct cost to employers of training new hires.

• This reduces the cost of vacancy, recruitment, and onboarding—especially for high-volume entry-level roles.

What Challenges Employers Face Today in Entry-Level Roles

1. High Turnover and Low Retention

• Many employers experience 20–30%+ turnover in the first 90 days, especially in manufacturing, hospitality, and logistics (noted in employer-engagement planning materials).

• Lack of soft skills, life stabilization, and job readiness is the #1 cause of turnover—not technical skill.

2. A Shrinking and Underprepared Labor Pool

• The NWI region communities have 30,000+ underemployed adults and 7,200 disconnected youth, many lacking certifications, transportation, or career navigation support.

• Employers often receive applicants who are unprepared for modern production, logistics, healthcare, IT, trades, or service environments.

3. Employers Cannot Address Worker Barriers Alone

• Barriers like childcare, transportation, housing, and food insecurity undermine workforce stability.

• Workforce hubs integrate these supports so employers don’t have to.

How an Integrated Approach—Bootcamps + Opportunity Hubs—Solves Employers’ Biggest Challenges

1. Produces Work-Ready Employees Who Are More Likely to Stay

• Bootcamps provide a structured 4–8-week pipeline (Phase 1 + Phase 2) that improves both soft skills and technical skills.

• Opportunity hubs wrap this training with coaching, supports, and real-world exposure, which dramatically improves retention.

2. Embeds Employers in the Design of Their Own Talent Pipelines

• Employers participate in advisory councils, mock interviews, employer shadow days, apprenticeships, and capstones.

• Curricula evolve with employer needs, making skills directly relevant to real jobs.

3. Lowers Recruiting, Screening, and Training Costs

• Participants arrive pre-screened, coached, credentialed, and ready to contribute.

• OJT subsidies, apprenticeships, and wage reimbursement reduce upfront investment.

4. Expands Access to Populations Employers Struggle to Reach

• Hubs bring in job seekers from distressed neighborhoods, young adults, returning citizens, veterans, and career changers through coordinated community partnerships.

5. Provides Retention Coaching for the First 6–12 Months of Employment

• CWI continues to support both the employee and employer after placement, reducing turnover and supporting productivity.

6. Builds a Long-Term, Sector-Focused Regional Talent Strategy

• Sector pathways (manufacturing, healthcare, IT, logistics, trades, hospitality) ensure supply of trained workers continues year-round.

• Opportunity Hubs unify workforce training, innovation labs, food/culinary training, arts, youth services, and employer engagement under one umbrella—creating a long-term community pipeline.

Use Cases for Employers

Manufacturing

• Ready candidates with OSHA, quality basics, and reliability coaching.

• Reduced downtime and turnover through pre-employment supports.

Healthcare

• CNA/PCT-ready talent with wraparound supports to manage scheduling and transportation.

Logistics & CDL

• Workers proficient in safety, warehouse fundamentals, and soft skills are needed for shift work.

Trades & Construction

• Graduates arrive ready for Registered Apprenticeships or contractor onboarding, reducing early turnover.

• Lower first-90-day washout rates, reduced safety incidents, and a reliable entry-level apprentice pipeline.

• Timely workforce supply is critical when large infrastructure or public works contracts begin.

Hospitality

• Candidates trained in customer service, food safety, professionalism, and reliability through culinary and hospitality programming tied to hands-on skill training.

Bottomline: Employers need CWI because:

• They streamline and coordinate the entire workforce ecosystem.

• They produce reliable, job-ready candidates with soft and technical skills.

• They reduce hiring costs through training subsidies and pre-vetting.

• They increase retention by providing wraparound supports employers cannot provide.

• They create long-term pipelines through sector partnerships and Opportunity Hubs.