The recent collaboration between Stellar Energy, Jacksonville Job Corps and CareerSource NEFL, which led three young people to permanent, well-paying jobs in Jacksonville, offers a good example of how “wraparound services” can build pipelines to deliver qualified candidates to employers in Northeast Florida.
Through a rapid, successful collaboration among the three organizations in June, three Job Corps students were hired by Stellar Energy as electrical manufacturing associates.
“We really served as the connector in this case, through our long term partnerships with both Stellar Energy and Job Corps,” said Roben Faircloth, CareerSource NEFL Industry Manager for Manufacturing. “We found that Stellar Energy was looking to hire people who had skills in welding or construction, so we got in touch with Job Corps and the process went on from there.”
Stellar was looking for people who had some hands-on technical skills, which led Tanzy James, the Advance Career Training Coordinator for Jacksonville Job Corps, to reach out to her instructors in electrical, heating/ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), facility maintenance and advanced manufacturing programs to find suitable candidates.
James, who has worked as a partner with CareerSource for more than 20 years, administers training and employment grants in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Job Corps is one of 120 campuses across the country that provides free career training and education for young people from 16 to 24 years of age. Job Corps also provides housing and transportation support to help the hired students succeed.
After identifying five near-completion students based on their skill sets and math scores, James coordinated with Stellar Energy Talent Acquisition Manager Desiree Garcia to organize an orientation day for Job Corps students – which included a comprehensive information session, a company history overview and a facility tour.
“This red carpet experience let students see operations firsthand and get a better understanding of the company,” James said. “After the tour, the five interested students took an assessment. Three passed and were offered jobs.”
The entire process, from initial contact to offers, took place within two weeks. The three students – Eldred, Leo and Jetley – started in their new positions in mid-July.
“The offers from Stellar Energy are truly life-changing for these students,” James said. “Many Job Corps students have limited family support or housing, and some lack prior work history, so securing an entry-level role at an annual salary above $40,000 provides significant financial stability and a career start.”
“This partnership efficiently connected qualified entry-level candidates with a major advanced manufacturing opportunity, underscoring the importance of such networks for both students and employers,” Garcia said.
In addition to its long-time connection with Jacksonville Job Corps, CareerSource NEFL recently provided Customized Training funds to Stellar Energy in support of the company’s entry level training program, Skilled Workers Acclimation Training (SWAT), to increase the skills of newly hired employees on the manufacturing campuses of Stellar Energy. The three-week training course, a mix of classroom and on-the-job instruction, is designed to teach new hires with little to no experience in the manufacturing industry a trade skill in mechanical fitting.
