The Truckload Carriers Association’s inaugural WorkForce Builders Conference just concluded and is being hailed as a great success. The first of its kind for the truckload industry, WFBCON was a three-day event with workshop tracks dedicated to human resources, recruitment, retention and fleet management.
More than 150 representatives from truckload carriers, schools and industry service providers gathered for this unique opportunity to look beyond traditional human resources strategies and gain fresh ideas.
“Retaining a skilled workforce today is a business imperative,” said John Lyboldt, TCA’s president. “The ‘same old’ ideas from the past are no longer enough. Through a line-up of great speakers and educational sessions, we conveyed many novel approaches that attendees can bring home and implement right away.”
WFBCON’s keynote speaker was Patty Cox, former global head of automotive marketing solutions at LinkedIn and a current executive-in-residence and adjunct professor at Northwood University. She spoke about recruiting drivers, retaining current employees who also contribute to hiring goals and branding your company to be an employer of choice.
“The influence of social media on the talent industry cannot be understated,” Cox told attendees. “Over the past five years, the use of social media in recruiting has grown 54 percent, with one in five candidates saying that they applied for a job that they learned about via social media. Trends in the digital space are driving increases in quality candidate sourcing and providing tools to make talent acquisition and retention more efficient. Social media is a must-play for talent professionals and companies of all sizes.”
At WFBCON, a new professional development community was created with the launch of three certificate programs in human resources, recruitment and retention, and insurance risk management. Even though WFBCON has just ended, TCA’s leadership is already discussing ideas for next year’s event.
To keep informed of upcoming plans, visit www.GrowYourWorkforce.com and follow @WFBCON on Twitter.
