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A Roadmap for Developing Partnerships
Steve Wing, director of government programs at CVS, wants other companies to take advantage of one-stop federal job centers and faith-based organizations. Wing offers advice for companies that want to emulate CVS’ initiative.
By Mark Schoeff Jr.
Recommend 0
 VS has developed a competitive advantage over the past several years by turning
to the government and churches to help it recruit and retain the unemployed and
former welfare recipients.
Although the program is helping the drugstore chain find workers that its rivals
miss, it doesn’t jealously guard the initiative as if it were a proprietary secret.
Steve Wing, director of government programs at CVS, wants other companies to take
advantage of one-stop federal job centers and faith-based organizations.
Wing offers the following advice to emulate CVS’ initiative.
- Develop partnerships with local agencies and churches. In Washington in 2001,
the company co-located a CVS Regional Learning Center with a one-stop job facility
run by the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services. It also has a
deep partnership with Mount Lebanon Baptist Church. In other cities, the company
works with local workforce boards and with large nonprofit organizations such as
the National Council on Aging. It takes time to make these kinds of connections,
but the investment pays off. "In the long run, you’re going to get better people,"
Wing says.
- Give as much as you get. CVS finds talent, while the local government transforms
its constituents from being unemployed to being taxpayers. Also, CVS has established
a presence in Washington as a model corporate citizen. The area around its Regional
Learning Center has been redeveloped, in part because of the company’s commitment
to the community. "Partnerships are important," Wing says. "You have to make sure
everybody wins."
- Collaborate with other business partners. Providence, Rhode Island, is not a
big enough market for CVS to support a Regional Learning Center. So it joined forces
with the National Retail Federation and the local workforce board to set up a skill
center in the Providence Place Mall. CVS uses the center to train pharmacy technicians.
There is also a customer service training program for people who will be placed
with other retailers.
The proof that the CVS approach works is the reaction it generates from store
and regional managers, Wing says. They are pleased with the new staff members that
come from the learning centers.
"When they say they’re getting what they want, we want to do more of that kind
of thing," he says.
Workforce Management Online, March 2007 -- Register Now!
Mark Schoeff is a Workforce Management staff writer
based in Washington. E-mail editors@workforce.com to
comment.
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