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10 | I NSIGH T • D e c e m b e r 2 0 15 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m will continue this unique recruitment program. Surveys conducted in spring yielded promising results. When questioned if they would start their career in the Fox Cities before participating in Talent Upload, the likeliness they would relocate here was quite low. Aer the program, the survey showed a score that almost doubled, showing more of the students would be interested in starting a career here. "We are trying to market the Fox Cities not only as a great place with UP FRONT R e g i o n a l R o u n d u p » 1 2 F a c e T i m e » 1 5 C o n n e c t i o n s » 2 1 "Unemployment rates are down low enough where it's become very difficult to find good talent and that is at all levels from the manufacturing floor through the professional ranks." – Doug Osterberg, Appleton Coated A PILOT PROGRAM LAUNCHED in the spring of 2015 to bring young professionals to the area is picking up some momentum. Talent Upload is Fox Cities Regional Partnership's talent recruitment program in which students from universities around the Midwest come to Appleton to see what the area has to offer them in terms of employment and lifestyle — all expenses paid. In November, nearly 90 students from 17 universities in the Midwest participated in version 2.0 of Talent Upload, a three-day adventure in which they met with local companies to get a first glance at what their chosen career path has to offer, and what jobs are available in the Fox Cities to satisfy those career aspirations. Manny Vasquez, vice president of the Fox Cities Regional Partnership, says the program was created as a response to the needs many organizations have when searching for talent. "Talent Upload began as a direct response to what our existing employers in the Fox Cities were telling us," Vasquez says. "e best part of the program is to see the students interact with workers in these fields." Aer its initial run last spring, the Fox Cities Regional Partnership says it B y A n d r e w S c h a i c k Establishing roots Fox Cities Regional Partnership attracts potential new workforce lots of career opportunities, but also as a great place to live and play, which is very important for the younger demographic," Vasquez says. Not only do the students benefit from the experience, but the companies who work with them say this type of recruitment creates more of an impact than a traditional job fair. "We have found a lot of success with this program, and employers really appreciate the fact that the closest thing to this is a job fair on Students meet with area businesses to gain first-hand knowledge of their industry. C O U R T E S Y F O X C I T I E S R E G I O N A L PA R T N E R S H I P