Joe Bamberger likens his company’s talent development efforts to the way a college football team builds its roster. Schools that want to excel can look to the transfer portal, where they might find established talent who can come in from another school and help them right away.
But the most consistently successful programs, according to Bamberger, recruit outstanding freshman classes and then develop the talent.
This is the same type of thinking Bamberger wants Michigan companies to embrace as they build their own teams. He established Emerge in 2017 to help make that happen.
Emerge’s clients are employers, and Bamberger’s role is to connect them with as many places as possible where talent can be found.
“Creating relationships with educational institutions is the majority of our work,” Bamberger says. “Obviously, what entry-level looks like depends on the industry and depends on the client. It could be high school, CTE programs, trade schools, boot camps. The funnel into full-time positions is the area we focus on most.”
Bamberger talks about talent aggregation as working like any other supply chain. “Students are the raw material and employers are the end user,” he explains. “Education is the resource that shapes that talent along the way.”
First, the talent has to be procured. To help make that happen, Bamberger has developed a technology platform called EmergeNET. Launched in 2020, it’s a cross between LinkedIn and a dating app. Students can create online profiles with digital resumes at EmergeNET, and can use virtual reality and gameplay to explore career paths and develop their credentials in a safe environment.
Bamberger also has played an active role in the Michigan Career Educator and Employer Alliance, where he currently serves as president (it’s a three-year term). The organization is a nonprofit entity connecting two-year and four-year schools to the companies that hire college talent for positions ranging from internships to full-time positions.
The key to recruiting success, Bamberger believes, is for employers to not only value the development of younger talent, but also to reach out and make connections with them. To that end, he has formed partnerships between Emerge and public institutions like the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the workforce development agency Michigan Works. Both tout Emerge’s offerings via its app and its willingness to visit schools to promote employment opportunities.
As the state brands itself as a place for young people to stay and build careers, Bamberger encourages companies to brand themselves as desirable employers while maintaining a commitment to developing young talent.
“We need to be able to work with people who buy into the philosophy of entry-level talent,” Bamberger says. “Many still want someone who can solve their problem right away, not invest in a couple of years of developing someone.”
