Engaging Untapped Talent

Episode Summary:

The future of work begins with sourcing the future of talent. In this episode, Primary Talent Partners Founding Partner Tinisha Bookhart joins AGS Client Executive for DEI Marketplace Audra Woods to discuss how providing opportunity for college students from underrepresented groups is positively shaping the future of work and tapping into a talent resource that otherwise would not be available to many organizations. 

Transcript:

Allegis Global Solutions (AGS) presents the Subject to Talent podcast, a hub for global workforce leaders to unleash the power of human enterprise. Listen in as we explore the most innovative and transformational topics impacting businesses today.

Audra Woods: Hello, my name is Audra Woods and I am our DEI client executive at AGS. I am your guest host of our episode today of our AGS Subject to Talent podcast. Today I am very excited to welcome a partner of ours, Tinisha Bookhart. She is the founding partner of Primary Talent Partners (PTP), a talent supplier that offers programs to increase underrepresented science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent in the workforce to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive future of work. Very excited about our conversation today, so welcome to Subject to Talent, Tinisha.

Tinisha Bookhart: Thank you. I appreciate you having me today.

Audra Woods: Yes, yes. So, at our podcast, we really like to start our episodes by asking our guests the same first question. So how did you get into the workforce industry and what inspired you to be a founder of Primary Talent Partners?

Tinisha Bookhart: Wow. So that's a loaded question and it's a very circular question. So, I'll begin with my background. So, I was raised in a single parent home. I attended college basically on a wing and a prayer. My mother who raised myself and my two siblings, she did not attend college. She did not have a degree nor did my father. And so, to first get to college, that was a very interesting journey. But I arrived and while I was there, had to work several jobs to stay in school because paying for school was my responsibility.

And so, fast-forward to when I graduated. My degree is in computer science and my minor is in German. And while I was in school, one of my many jobs was an internship – or back then they called it a co-op – which meant every other semester, when I should have been in school, I was working in the industry utilizing my degree and getting some experience in the field.

So, by the time that I graduated, I knew that one of the things I wanted to do was to have a very varied career in terms of different assignments. And so, consulting was always very interesting to me. And so that's pretty much how I found myself in the workforce industry. So, I spent many years as a consultant, primarily IT and financial services. And that's how I met some of our founding partners of PTP, just from an experience from another consulting firm. And so, that's how I found myself in the workforce industry, the staffing industry. Nobody wakes up and dreams about being in the staffing industry, but that's how I arrived.

Audra Woods: I love that. I feel like we all fall into the staffing industry. I have a similar story as far as being within the industry. So, I do have a few questions for you today. Just a little bit about myself. I am the only one in my family that doesn't work in IT, I think I've said that before. So can you tell us a little bit more about the opportunity divide and why are people not starting from the same level as they prepare for the workforce?

Tinisha Bookhart: Oh, okay. So, going back to my story, being raised in a single parent home, there's only so much my mother could help me with, right? She could only get me so far. I feel like the opportunity divide is really going back to having access to social capital. And so, if you don't start from the same level playing field, then you're already at a disadvantage. You're already behind.

One of the things that I experienced when I was in college, I graduated from Clemson University and there weren't a lot of females in computer science and there weren't a lot of blacks in computer science. And so, when I graduated, I found that to be the case as well. And so I feel like that continues to perpetuate itself and especially as we have this conversation today about diversity and even in the industry today, when we look at diversity within the workforce, you'll see some of those things haven't changed. Which is why PTP really focuses on moving the needle and increasing representation among those underrepresented categories.

Audra Woods: I really love that, and that's really great insight in regards to that as well. So, my next question is a little bit more about how you partner with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and how your programs impact the students in corporations. I'm familiar with Primary Talent Partners and the amazing work that you all do. So can you tell us a little bit more about that program and just the overall impact?

Tinisha Bookhart: Absolutely. So, what we do, going back to my experience in terms of paying for college, we find that a lot of students aren't staying within STEM fields because of the lack of sense of belonging, the lack of funding, the lack of opportunity. They just simply don't know what they don't know. And so that's one of the reasons, main reasons why we partner with HBCUs, the historically Black colleges and universities because they have a lot of that underrepresented talent in their universities.

And so, we partner with them by providing scholarships to those students who need them and have financial gaps. And we find that there are a lot of students like myself who are first-generation college attendees and there is a lack of funding. When we supply that funding to them through scholarships that helps them to stay in school, where otherwise they might not be able to.

In terms of the sense of belonging, we help them in respect to mentorships. We provide [diversIT Scholar Prep] Academies where we partner with the students there and we talk about different things. Whether it be in the workforce or the industry, college atmosphere, etc., etc. And the whole point behind that is again, to partner with those students to help them matriculate. As well as to help them adjust when they have internships, because that is our third part with [the] Primary Pathways [program].

So Primary Pathways allows opportunities for our students to participate in internships, which allows them to gain meaningful experience before they graduate. And what that does is incentivize them to stay in school because they see at the end of the line that they're going to make a great wage, a living wage, more so than a living wage, more so than what their parents may be experiencing or even their siblings if they just stick through it and stick with their degree and graduate.

And so, while they're participating in those internships, they do earn a stipend. And that helps them to affirm what they're learning in the classroom and get that meaningful experience. And the main reason why we do that is because we find that students who have internships and participate in internships before they graduate, one, they're more likely to secure a job upon graduation and then secondary to that, they're able to do so at a higher wage than if they did not have one at all.

Audra Woods: I love that and I love how it provides to students, just experience of what it's like to work within the workplace, right? And just getting that knowledge and that experience, it really goes a long way. So I think that's such a really good thing that you are doing. I know with here at AGS, we became aware of PTP and this unique offering a few years ago through our supplier mentorship program.

So can you tell us a little bit more, I know you and I, and Chad, we work so closely together. But can you tell us a little bit more, just about the partnership and how it started and any particular proof points or anything that you would like to share? Because we've really been great partners together and so I just love the fact that we had that opportunity.

Tinisha Bookhart: Yes, and I thank you and AGS for that opportunity. And that mentorship really helped us so much in terms of blossoming more opportunities in that space. We had a major AGS client who participated in our flagship – our initial Primary Pathways program – and they had a lot of great success. It was very successful in the first year, that client was able to provide over a thousand hours that we paid for, for a student to work with them.

And this was after being with that student for so long and the relationship and partnership that they built with that student, they found where they wanted themselves to expand the program from just that one student to others. And so that just caught on like wildfire. And again, it's only because of that partnership and that relationship with AGS and through that mentorship program that that was able to be launched. So very thankful for that.

Audra Woods: No, and we are thankful for your partnership. So, my next question, I know I'm just firing them away at you today. So, what's next for PTP? What is the overall, the large vision?

Tinisha Bookhart: What's next? We have a lot of things. I'll start by saying I know PTP, when we first started, we really wanted to focus on being different and providing a differentiator and doing something that matters. And so, when I think of what's next, I think of more the same. We want to continue in the same line of work that we are doing now and we want to do it on a greater scale.

We want to be a bigger and greater impact in the communities that we're already in and even extend that beyond the doors of where we currently are. I know right now diversity is being questioned, in a lot of ways. And I think the work is still needed, because as you and I have talked and explained and I've shared from my own personal experience, different people from different backgrounds, they don't all start from the same playing field.

They don't all have the same opportunity. They're not all given the same opportunity with respect to knowing what's out there and being able to pursue what's out there. And I think that's the point in the spirit behind a lot of diversity programming, especially when it comes to what we're doing at PTP. We are really looking to provide opportunities to those who may not have otherwise had them.

And it's not that they are incapable or that they're even less than, it's just that maybe they did not know about it and they needed to be introduced to it, or maybe they never aspired to it because they didn't know it was a potential opportunity. And so being able to put our face on this and expand this program, I think will speak volumes and go a long way in terms of bridging that divide we were talking about earlier.

Audra Woods: I love that. And one of my favorite things about partnering with PTP is that you all are in it. You're committed to this work, right? It's not... I work with Chad, I work with you and Jen, and you all are a hundred percent all in. And it's very obvious that it's not a fad to you all. And so, I just wanted to present just a little bit of data to our audience and just the impact that PTP can help bridge this gap.

So, some of the data that we have is that there is a trend showing that there's a black wage gap in tech, it's supposed to increase by 30% in 2030, and STEM roles are expected to rise by 14%. However, black participants are only expected to grow by 8%. So there is a lack of historic and familiar connections for underrepresented groups. So it's very important that we continue with this work, right?

Tinisha Bookhart: Absolutely.

Audra Woods: Yeah. It's very important that we continue with this work. And it just shows that the work that you all are doing at PTP, the overall economic impact, the generational wealth creation, the sustainable talent of the future that you all are creating, so I just didn't want our audience to lose sight of the why.

Tinisha Bookhart: Yeah, I appreciate you mentioning that and that generational divide and that generational gap is key because that's pretty much what I've seen in my family. Sometimes you do what's in front of you, you do what's familiar, you do what's known. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know, right? And so that's why I was saying earlier, there was only so much my mother could help me with, because there was so much that she was unaware of.

So, I think the more we present programs and opportunities like this and we shine a light on the capabilities of these students who may not have otherwise seen it, I think this is going to go a long way. To add to some of those statistics that you were sharing earlier, that wage gap is key. My brother and sister, I was the only one of my siblings who attended college. Our lives are very different.

And their children's lives are very different than my children's lives. And so you continue to perpetuate the norm. And this, I feel this program that we have, it's a great disruptor. It's an opportunity to invoke and inject change because there's so much talent in the ecosystem that's untapped. It's untapped and I feel like our programming just allows us to tap into that untapped potential.

Audra Woods: No, I mean, great point, great point. Because people typically like to hire themselves, right.

Tinisha Bookhart: Mm-hmm.

Audra Woods: And so, it's another opportunity for companies to continue to expand their search, to continue to find qualified talent, right? Across the board.

Tinisha Bookhart: Absolutely.

Audra Woods: So, we like to end our episodes with a look into the future. So, we always call this the crystal ball question. So, considering the current marketplace for diverse equitably inclusive practices, where do you see PTP within the next five years? And where do you see the overall effort for more diverse workforces five to 10 years from now?

I do know that there is a lot of, in the publicity, in the public or the media that a lot of programs are being rolled back. And we have a partner, Seramount, and they've provided data to us saying that about 74% of companies are still committed to this work and to the DEI space. So just wanted to ask, what is your overall thought and where do you see PTP in the next five years? I know that was a loaded question.

Tinisha Bookhart: It was, but I love it. So, our north star will continue to be what we've been doing. I've coined this phrase diversity and doing. Sometimes you do what you do because it's what you do, but when you do what you do, it becomes who you are. And so, we want to get to the point to where when we are talking about diversity it is who we are and it's not what we do.

And so, when I look at our north star and the crystal ball for where PTP is going in the future, that is where we're headed. That's pretty much where we are now. That is our mission, and we will stay and continue to be focused on that. I mentioned earlier, being able to expand our programming. There are areas in which we aren't currently in different markets that we aren't in, that we could be.

Our focus and emphasis has been on increasing underrepresented representation and the workforce, and we want to continue that good work. And while we see some of those metrics increase and change for us and our clients, it would be great if we would share and partner, share what we know with others. And through that, we created a Pathways Council where we do just that. We share ideas with the like-minded peers in the industry so that we can all piggyback and learn some new best practices to expand.

So, I definitely see us growing in terms of the partnerships that we have. I see us growing in the clients that we serve. I definitely see us growing in our relationship with AGS. I thank you again so much for this opportunity to be here and to be a part of that mentorship council. But really the point behind what we do, we do it because we care. And I think when you care, when you truly care, work isn't work. And I think you see the successes because of that. And so I think we will continue, based on our current success, we will continue to evolve and grow in that and expand in different regions that we're not in. And expand our programming to different universities and communities that we're not currently serving.

Audra Woods: I love it. And I'm on the Pathways Council and I learned so much, each connection in each meeting, so I just really appreciate all the work that you are doing within this space. So, I feel like you've said a lot of mic drop moments that we can put on T-shirts, Tinisha. So, I really hope that our audience was able to capture that. And so just to wrap us up, what should listeners do if they want to learn more about you or PTP?

Tinisha Bookhart: Oh, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn, social media, definitely follow what we're doing in the industry. I think that's the easiest way to contact me. So yeah, definitely social media. That's going to be the fastest, easiest way to get in touch with me or any of my colleagues and see what we're doing.

Audra Woods: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time. I feel like you left us with a lot of good gems on why incorporating diversity is important, as also with the overall partnership with PTP our partnership together with AGS. So, looking forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

Tinisha Bookhart: Thank you. And I do as well.

Audra Woods: Thank you for joining today.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you have questions, send them to SubjectToTalent@AllegisGlobalSOlutions.com. Follow us on LinkedIn with the #SubjectToTalent and learn more about AGS at AllegisGlobalSolutions.com, where you can find additional workforce insights and past episodes. Until next time, cheers.