Staffing firm creates pipeline for future NCRC jobs

By Emily Ford

eford@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — The country's largest scientific and clinical staffing firm has been recruiting clients in Kannapolis who might land jobs at the N.C. Research Campus.

Aerotek, the top recruiter and provider of professionals for industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and clinical research, has held two rounds of interviews at the R3 Center in Kannapolis.

"Aerotek has been very proactive about getting involved with the campus and looking for opportunities," said Keri Allman-Young, director of the R3 Center, a career development center established by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College to help unemployed or under-employed workers.

The R3 Center has a temporary location across Dale Earnhardt Boulevard from the $1.5 billion life sciences Research Campus.

Only active, existing R3 clients can meet with Aerotek, which will continue to hold interviews at R3 once a month, Allman-Young said.

Headquartered in Maryland with 150 offices across the country, including one in Charlotte, the company is recruiting for its vast scientific and clinical division, manager Herman Bruno said.

"We're not necessarily recruiting for the Research Campus," he said.

But Aerotek, which now has one Research Campus company as a client, hopes to add more, he said.

Recruiting at R3 helps create a pipeline of potential employees, Bruno said.

"So that when one of our clients at the Research Campus does have an opening, that may be a resource that we can pull from," he said.

R3 clients have received extensive career development counseling. They come to interviews on time, prepared, well-dressed and with a topical, well-written resume, Allman-Young said.

The partnership with Aerotek works because the company needs access to above-average job seekers, while R3 clients need the chance to interview, she said.

Working with Aerotek also gives Allman-Young insight into current employment opportunities without taking on the role of job placement.

So far, Aerotek has helped one R3 client who landed a job on the Research Campus, a part-time position with Sensory Spectrum, Allman-Young said.

But Aerotek has accepted all of the R3 clients who have been interviewed, about two dozen, for potential employment, she said.

"It's a foot in the door," she said.

Feedback from Aerotek turns into more training and career development at R3, she said.

"To heighten our awareness of what's going on in the local labor market — telling people how to interview and what to do on their resume — makes our center much more effective," she said.

R3 has more than 3,000 clients, but not all are active.

Allman-Young expects that number to increase when the Philip Morris plant closes in July.