Building a Bridge Between Employers and Great Talent

When it comes to a passion for helping people, Jimmy Madrigal’s desire to make a difference shines bright. As a lead project specialist at Workforce Solutions, Jimmy has built a reputation for helping local area businesses understand the vast array of services the organization provides that can assist them in building and growing their businesses. Rooted in love for his hometown of Houston and a realization that employers aren’t aware that Workforce Solutions is funded by federal tax dollars, Jimmy feels most fulfilled when he can help a business solve a problem or fulfill a need. So, when Houston-Galveston area employers began to feel the impact of the talent pool crunch stemming from the Great Resignation, Jimmy sprang into action.

For the past two years, Jimmy has been working with employers of all sizes – from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses – who have been impacted by the talent strain to fill vacancies from resignations, turnover and retirement. He helps employers with seemingly small things such as ensuring their WorkInTexas.com job postings are set up correctly, which result in higher quality and more expedient candidate matches. He also takes on bigger projects such as writing grant proposals to secure funding for on-the-job training programs that ensure an employer is armed with high-skilled workers.

One impactful way he has helped fill gaps in the talent pool over the past two years of the pandemic is by building registered apprenticeship programs for companies. “Most employers are unfamiliar with registered apprenticeships or once they hear about it, they feel it is too cumbersome to utilize,” Jimmy explained. “We guide them through the entire process and customize a program so they can build a homegrown talent pipeline and have people trained the way they want them to be,” furthered Jimmy.

Jimmy said that while many may believe registered apprenticeships are primarily of use in the construction and manufacturing industries, they have the potential to benefit other industries including retail, hospitality and healthcare. Jimmy shared a story about a small IT company he worked with recently that was struggling to attract talent in a market filled with larger players. He helped them customize an apprenticeship program for service technicians that provided the training and certifications they needed to meet the company’s specific skill requirements. Jimmy noted that while the larger players in the market were frequently able to offer higher compensation, the employee training and credentialing program gave this employer an advantage in attracting talent in a highly competitive recruiting market.

Jimmy loves working with Workforce Solutions because it gives him the opportunity to do work that truly matters, to advance the organization’s purpose – to keep the region a great place to business, work and live. He explained, “We have a great talent pool. We have a great city. And I am excited to be a part of building a bridge that brings the two together.”