Before joining Mercantile Bank a decade ago, Misti Stanton worked in education for 25 years.
Today, as Mercantile’s Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Stanton uses her own career path as an example of the wide-ranging opportunities students can explore through work-based learning opportunities.
“I didn’t go to school and say, ‘I want to be a banker.’ But here I am in a space that fulfills me,” she said. “I am passionate about literacy, youth development, and education. And I don’t feel like I’ve had to compromise who I am to be in this space and to develop a career.”
Connecting the next generation to rewarding careers is just one benefit of the robust work-based learning program developed by Mercantile, a member of TalentFirst’s CEO Council, HR Council, and Workforce DE&I Working Group. Stanton sees this approach as instrumental in developing pipelines to new talent that might not be aware of opportunities otherwise.
Employers who recognize these advantages have an opportunity to capture the interest of students, build enduring relationships, and connect with the workforce of the future. And the current landscape is ideal to foster these connections in virtually every industry.
‘Now is the time to jump on board’
At a recent member-exclusive TalentFirst Spotlight Series, presenters Shayna Carlson, work-based learning supervisor for Ottawa Area ISD, and Krista Harmon, workforce development consultant for Kent ISD, said students today have high interest in these opportunities — including beyond high school.
“Career Technical Education has changed, and more and more of our students are looking for postsecondary options and apprenticeship options,” Carlson said. “Now is the time to jump on board and say, ‘How can I get connected with students younger so that I can help build that talent pipeline and communicate our opportunities?’”
A study by national nonprofit American School Assistance confirms that interest, but it also highlights a disconnect. ASA found that while 79% of high school students express interest in participating in work-based learning experiences, only 34% reported being aware of any opportunities within their age group.
This disconnect coincides with other challenges that Carlson and Harmon noted: declining birth rates and a teen labor force participation rate that has steadily fallen for decades. While employers continue to struggle to fill key positions, many young people remain unaware of career opportunities.
Work-based learning offers a way to bridge that gap — and intermediate school districts can provide support and guidance to help employers engage. Practices to explore include:
Career Awareness and Exploration
- Workplace tours
- Classroom speakers
- Career fairs
- Employer interviews
- Job shadowing
- Project-based learning
Career Preparation and Training
- Internships
- Pre-apprenticeships
- Co-ops
- Industry-sponsored projects
- Mock interviews
- Job shadowing
The opportunities to engage exist across a spectrum of grade levels, even starting as early as kindergarten, Harmon said.
“We not only want to plant some seeds for students who are a little older, but you also might partner with education to cultivate early awareness,” she said. “That can be anything from being a guest speaker to visiting a classroom and reading books on a topic related to your industry.”
→ Download a TalentFirst resource sheet to connect with West Michigan ISD supports.
Connecting with postsecondary students
Work-based learning at the postsecondary level carries its own challenges — but still boils down to making students aware of the opportunities. The key, according to Stanton and other leading practitioners of work-based learning, is to be intentional and creative about sharing the opportunities.
“When you think about the banking industry — and any industry — they’re all different. So you have to be able to create pipelines for yourself,” she said. “We’re very intentional about specific skills for certain jobs, but we’re also very creative about it, because there are so many different opportunities within this banking space. You have IT, you have finance, you have accounting, you have legal, compliance, diversity work.”
Another key strategy, Stanton said, is to work alongside educational institutions. Some recommendations offered by postsecondary education career services experts, compiled by TalentFirst, include:
- Enhance your employer brand, especially online
- Be proactive and start marketing opportunities as early as welcome week
- Know your workforce and which majors align with your employment needs
- Utilize the career centers at institutions
- Leverage your staff to connect with students at their alma mater
- Diversify your engagement tactics to understand what works on each campus
- Evaluate job descriptions from the perspective of a college student
- Streamline the application process to make a good impression
- Be transparent and respectful with applicants
- Hire an intern — they have better retention rates and introduce students to new industries
→ Download a TalentFirst resource sheet with tips for building a postsecondary talent pipeline.
Partnerships that work, for everyone
Mercantile collaborates with educational institutions to make placements at its locations across Michigan. One example is its Mentoring, Aspiring, Preparing (MAP) partnership with Grand Valley State University.
MAP provides a four-year scholarship to selected high school seniors who have been accepted to GVSU’s Business School. The initiative has built-in tutors and allows participants to work at Mercantile, rotating every three to four months to experience all the different departments within the banking industry.
“So, the goal is about exposure and awareness of what and where you could potentially land and use your skills and make money and be successful,” she said.
Mercantile’s paid summer internships run 8 to 10 weeks and include wraparound services, such as monthly topical workshops, community service opportunities, and one-on-one sessions with Stanton to identify growth opportunities. The program also includes support for supervisors. “The internship is not just for students to learn, but also for us to learn,” Stanton said.
“The goal for this program is to create opportunity for future customers, better community, more awareness about the financial institution, and creating a space for students to be successful no matter where they choose to work,” she said. “We care about making sure that our students are successful because they’re the future workforce.
“I don’t think you can call yourself a community bank if you don’t understand the community you serve, especially in recruiting,” Stanton said. “It’s programs like these that help close the diversity gap, and fill the pipeline of stellar candidates who we hope to hire in our industry.”
