Your future workforce is in high school right now — Are you showing up?
Here’s a question for every employer reading this: when was the last time you engaged with a student who was more than two years away from being hire-ready?
If the answer is “Never” or “We wait until they’re graduating,” you’re behind. And you’re not alone. Most organizations treat workforce development as a downstream activity. Post the job. Screen the candidates. Fill the role. But the talent shortages so many industries are facing didn’t start with the job posting. They started years earlier, when students had no idea your careers even existed.
The awareness gap is the real pipeline problem
We talk a lot about pipelines in recruiting. But a pipeline assumes there are people in it. In healthcare alone, there are critical shortages in roles like radiology, respiratory therapy, lab technology, and facilities management — and most high school students couldn’t name any of them. If students don’t know a career exists, they can’t pursue the education or training to get there. It’s that simple.
That’s why awareness and exploration matter more than most employers realize. Not awareness of your brand, awareness of the work itself. What does a care tech actually do all day? What does an HVAC specialist in a hospital earn? What training does it take, and who’s willing to help pay for it?
What early engagement looks like
Through partnerships with the Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council and the St. Louis Metropolitan Hospital Council, we’ve been building a model for what employer-supported career exploration can look like at different stages:
For middle and high school students, Explore Your Future events (coming again this fall) provide hands-on activities across the full range of healthcare professions — not just the ones students already know about. This is exploration, not recruiting. The goal is to spark interest before anyone asks them to commit.
For juniors and seniors who are further along, Fast Track Your Future events connect students directly with employers, education partners, and financial resources, helping them leave with concrete next steps toward a career with little or no debt.
For teachers, externship programs give educators firsthand experience in healthcare settings so they can bring real-world career context back to their classrooms. Teachers become advocates for career pathways they’ve seen.
Why this matters to your organization
If you’re a hiring leader struggling to fill roles, consider this: every student who discovers your career exists is a potential future applicant. Every teacher who understands your workforce needs becomes an informal recruiter. Every scholarship, sponsorship, or earn-while-you-learn program you offer builds loyalty before someone ever fills out an application.
Putting effort into building awareness at the high school level is an important workforce strategy. And the organizations that invest in it now will be the ones with full pipelines in five years.
Want to get involved? Whether it’s hosting a teacher for an externship, participating in a career exploration event, or sponsoring a student’s training — reach out. The earlier you engage, the stronger your future workforce.