CONTACT: Jennifer Smith, Thrive, 608-443-1961 or Mary DeNiro, Wisconsin Alumni Association, 608-262-7545
Find this release online at: http://www.thrivehere.org/media
Pilot Project Matches Madison Region Businesses with Qualified, Targeted Workforce
Madison— Badger Career Network Alerts, an online service designed to connect mid-career to executive UW-Madison alumni with companies that are hiring, has concluded a successful pilot phase and is advancing into beta testing. When fully scaled up, the new system will enable companies in the Madison Region, throughout Wisconsin, and nationwide to alert qualified UW alumni candidates to specific position postings. Badger Career Network Alerts (BCNA) is a joint project of the Wisconsin Alumni Association and Thrive, the economic development enterprise serving the eight-county Madison Region. The BCNA offers job seekers with UW affiliation an avenue to advance their careers or find new positions.
“In this economy, connecting job seekers to companies with open positions is critical. Badger Career Network Alerts will benefit companies by providing a tailored recruitment tool, and will benefit professionals by accelerating their job search. I encourage UW alumni to opt into the system when contacted,” said WAA President and CEO Paula Bonner. The BCNA service is part of an online suite of Badger Career Network services the WAA has developed for UW alumni.
Three Madison Region companies —Covance, Epic Systems, and UW Hospital & Clinics—participated in the pilot test. Janice Bultema, Vice President of Human Resources for UW Hospital and Clinics, stated, “Thrive and the Wisconsin Alumni Association have created a new mechanism for employers to connect with qualified individuals – both active job seekers and the hard-to-reach passive candidates. This connection with people who are not yet actively looking is the most powerful aspect of this approach. Badger Career Networks Alerts broaden the reach of UW Hospital & Clinics’ recruitment efforts for highly skilled personnel in ways that increase the likelihood of success. We directly reach targeted alumni who meet our experience and education requirements and have first-hand experience of the quality of life in this region.”
Tricia Cullen, Senior Recruiter for Covance, agrees. “Covance is on a growth curve and faces the challenge of recruiting professionals from around the country to fill a wide variety of positions in Madison. The Alerts system has great potential to direct quality applications to us-experienced people already positive about Wisconsin–and will complement the other tools we use to fill positions. We look forward to the scaled up system when it is ready to go.”
BCNA enables subscribing employers to send email notification of open positions directly to pre-qualified Wisconsin alumni who have opted into the service. Interested job seekers then contact the company directly to pursue the opportunity. The system is especially designed to help companies fill professional, specialty, and other hard-to-fill positions. The WAA alumni network includes more than 300,000 individuals who are potential candidates. -Studies have indicated that 61% of professionals with ties to UW-Madison are more likely to consider Wisconsin for their next career move.
“Finding skilled management, scientific, and professional talent is a competitive need. We are already aware of companies in the Madison Region that need people with a certain combination of experience and education. Badger Career Network Alerts will help employers in many industries connect with this talent,” said Thrive President Jennifer Alexander.
The project to-date has focused on the healthcare, biotechnology and information technology sectors because of their articulated talent recruitment needs, both within Wisconsin and out of state. A beta test enrolling more steering committee companies is scheduled this March through July, to ramp up system capabilities. A full launch of Badger Career Network Alerts is planned later in 2009, when the service would open to all interested companies.
To learn more about the Madison Region, visit: http://www.thrivehere.org To find out more about existing WAA Career services, visit: http://www.uwalumni.com/careers
