The Talent Magnet Institute Podcast

Episode 4: How Business Leaders can Invest in Students with Tim Hanner

Do you believe that students aren’t being prepared well enough for life beyond high school, that there’s a gap in the recruitment and hiring pipeline that can be filled by a younger generation, hungry to begin their careers? You and Tim Hanner have something in common. Today he talks about how his organization, NaviGo College & Career Prep, works with students and businesses to help fill that gap.

The biggest part of what NaviGo does is to work with students early – before they graduate – to get to know each one and determine what they really want to do and what they’ll excel at. Tim explains how, since they merged with Children, Inc., their services range from prenatal care to school administrators, to graduate career placement, even after college. The amazing part is that it’s based on a sliding scale and never financially out of reach for anyone.
Their work doesn’t stop there. In addition to working with young people, parents, and teachers, NaviGo also works with business leaders, mending a break in the pipeline that gets fresh, young talent into organizations where they’ll succeed. Tim explains how the process works, from designing activities with businesses, how they are implemented, and how some of the students are selected as NaviGo scholars.
The NaviGo program isn’t a contract between students and businesses. Tim shares an inside look at what businesses are thinking when they invest in these students, and how NaviGo works with the students to find what best suits them and their future without locking them in.
Why should you get involved in what NaviGo and similar organizations are doing? How will it benefit you, and more importantly, the community? Tim has a beautiful insight into how apprenticeship can change a generation of young people in a time where college can be out of reach for so many. It’s more than just a tour or field day. It’s real-life training.
Why does Tim love what he does? He shares the story from before he retired, when his students wrote his school’s third goal. What he does now is a direct response to their desire to start preparing for their careers earlier. He shares what changes he saw as he worked with them, and how NaviGo still honors this by having a Student Board of Directors.
Tim makes the important point that not only must we engage students as early as primary school, but we need to make sure we are engaging with them in things that will help prepare them for life after high school. Fortunately, NaviGo’s work isn’t strictly regional. Tim explains how the company is piloting programs across the US.
Young people can bring far more to the table than just skill-sets, and Tim shares his vision of how the students who take part in the Scholars program will not have to search for employment, and instead, be sought-after by companies who need them for what they bring and know.
Another encouraging and unexpected benefit has been for students and colleges. Many of the colleges who are involved with NaviGo have offered tuition assistance for students who have completed the Scholars program, and some of the college employees have also been certified as NaviGo coaches.
Tim shares some heartfelt stories about some of the students who have succeeded with NaviGo Scholars, including one student who didn’t recognize her strengths and voice until she began working with her coach. Her story will inspire you.