Web 2.0 Boosts the Power of Electrical Recruitment
Posted on: Tuesday, 1 July 2008, 15:00 CDT
To: BUSINESS EDITORS
Contact: Mark Walston for NLMCC, +1-301-919-8755, markwalston@comcast.net
BETHESDA, Md., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Web 2.0 social networking communities such as YouTube and MySpace are proving to be effective tools in the recruitment efforts of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).
Says Ed Hill, president of IBEW, "The Internet has long been a critical component of our recruitment strategy. Now, with the phenomenal popularity of social networking communities, we have additional online vehicles for delivering our message of opportunity to a new generation of workers."
In Portland, Oregon, NECA and IBEW Local 48 have launched a major educational outreach and recruiting effort targeting teens and young adults through MySpace and other social networking sites. The pilot initiative harnesses videos of on-the-job apprentices and an interactive blog to capture and engage the key demographic.
Meanwhile, in Ohio, the NECA/IBEW Cincinnati Electrical Training Center has channeled the power and reach of YouTube to capture the attention of potential recruits through short videos exploring life as an apprentice. Dozens of other locals, from Alaska to Illinois to New Jersey, have recently created YouTube, MySpace and other social networking sites to promote recruitment.
Says NECA president E. Milner Irvin, "The days of relying just on word-of-mouth to build a skilled workforce are over. Today, we need to explore every available avenue to reach young people. And connecting with potential recruits becomes even more critical given the impending labor shortage faced by the electrical and information systems industries as power demands increase and baby boomers retire."
ABOUT NECA AND IBEW
Through their joint marketing organization -- the National Labor- Management Cooperation Committee (NLMCC) of the organized electrical construction industry -- NECA and IBEW together work to:
-- Reach customers with accurate information about the industry; and
-- Achieve better internal communication between labor and management.
NECA has provided over a century of service to the $130 billion electrical construction industry that brings power, light and communication technology to buildings and communities across the United States. NECA's national office and 119 local chapters advance the industry through advocacy, education, research and standards development.
With 725,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields, including construction, utilities, telecommunications and manufacturing, IBEW is among the largest member unions in the AFL- CIO. IBEW was founded in 1891.
For more information, visit http://www.thequalityconnection.org.
SOURCE NLMCC
(c) 2008 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: U.S. Newswire
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