Military Hiring Event Hosted by Sheboygan Area SHRM
Sheboygan County, WI – A key mission of the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC) is to drive workforce recruitment campaigns in partnership with community leaders. In conjunction with this mission, the Sheboygan Area-Society for Human Resource Management (SA-SHRM) received a grant to educate human resource professionals on best practices to attract, retain and engage area veterans, reservists, guardsmen and trailing spouses.
The SA-SHRM has used this grant funding to organize a pair of military-focused workforce recruitment and hiring programs on Wednesday, Aug. 21 and Thursday, Aug. 22 at Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center, located at 7001 Gass Lake Road in Manitowoc, WI.
“While at a national leadership conference for SHRM last fall, we learned what the national organization was doing to help HR professionals with their own challenges,” SA-SHRM Chapter President Angela Casper said. “We networked with chapter leaders from other councils nationwide and heard about how they are bringing qualified workers to the employers in their areas. I was excited to see what SA-SHRM could do in our own community with this newfound information and inspiration.
“The SA-SHRM was thrilled to receive a grant from the SHRM Foundation which supports learning opportunities for HR professionals,” she said. “Through our strong partnerships with Sheboygan area businesses and other local organizations, we are utilizing these grant dollars to plan a two-day event that will benefit both the human resources and the military communities.”
The two-day program will begin with an ‘Attracting, Engaging and Retaining Our Heroes’ event geared to human resources and business professionals on Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 7:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. with registration, breakfast and networking slated from 7-7:45 a.m.
This networking and educational event will give participants an understanding of the challenges and mindset that transitioning service members are experiencing and teach best practices for attracting, retaining and engaging veterans, reservists, guardsmen and trailing spouses in the workplace. The keynote speaker will be Tim Lasage, Marine Veteran, and the presenter will be Derek Jablonicky, Veterans Employer Representative for the Office of Veterans Employment Services. Chris Campbell from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and Rebecca Deschene from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will also be speaking.
A military hiring event, which aims to give military veterans, guardsmen, reservists and family members an opportunity to meet employers with job opportunities in many different fields including administration, hospitality, customer service, manufacturing, sales and marketing, will take place on Thursday, Aug. 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“The program will also educate employers on how to translate military experience into civilian positions. We’re bringing many non-profit community organizations together for the common good of hiring military personnel into civilian jobs,” Casper said. “Employers will become veteran-ready and will be introduced to another candidate pool to fill their positions, while the veterans will obtain gainful employment with employers who understand their unique needs.”
The SA-SHRM appreciates the efforts of the SCEDC in jump-starting interest in the county from a socioeconomic standpoint, while also making strides to engage transitioning military members in the workforce recruitment process. “With over 3,000 jobs available in Sheboygan County, and our companies hiring at all levels, the SCEDC has been working diligently to promote our area as a great place to work, live and play,” stated Joe Sheehan, Executive Director of the SCEDC.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, in partnership with the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, is promoting a program called ‘Hiring our Heroes,’ targeting recently discharged military service people and their families. The campaign promotes employment opportunities in Wisconsin and is working with SA-SHRM.
The SA-SHRM is aiming to draw military members across eastern Wisconsin to the two-day event.
“This event will be the first of its kind in eastern Wisconsin and will be the result of a strong partnership between local and state-wide non-profit organizations, government agencies, and the business community. The goal is to connect the military community to open jobs in the area and highlight Sheboygan County as a great place to work, live and play,” Casper said.
Transportation shuttles will be provided for the August 22nd hiring event from the Sheboygan County Job Center located at 3620 Wilgus Ave, Sheboygan, WI to the location of the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center.
Human resource and business professionals can register for the event at https://sheboyganarea.shrm.org/events. For more information about this two day event, email sheboygan.shrm@gmail.com or visit https://sheboyganarea.shrm.org/.
For more information about SCEDC services, email info@SheboyganCountyEDC.com or call 920-452-2479.
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The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC) is a countywide private/public partnership, leading economic development efforts to improve the economic wellbeing and long-term prosperity of the businesses, residents and communities of Sheboygan County, through collaborative retention, expansion and attraction efforts for business and employment development. The SCEDC leverages a variety of tools available to encourage business growth and job creation. Key performance indicators tapped by SCEDC track and measure businesses assisted and resources leveraged. By applying many tools to assist businesses and communities and help them succeed, SCEDC achieves increased economic prosperity for Sheboygan County.
