“The University of Antelope Valley is one of the city’s exceptional partners,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “For founders Sandra and Marco Johnson to step up and essentially put their money where their mouth is in order to help our residents and businesses during this tough economy is extremely commendable.”
The Smart Hire program offers employers up to $2,000 in reimbursement for a UAV graduate’s first month’s salary. This incentive applies to graduates hired during the month of September. To qualify, the graduate must be hired under a title which directly relates to their program of study. The position may be part-time or full-time, but must remain filled for at least 90 days by the graduate.
“Marco and I realize that there are many local companies which want to hire, yet are tentative for a number of reasons”, stated CEO and co-founder, Sandra Johnson. “Our focus since day one has been to educate and find jobs for our graduates who want to make a difference in this community. The quality of our faculty and instructional methods makes us confident in the abilities of our graduates. We see this program as a chance to motivate employers to hire individuals who are eager to get to work.”
The average hiring process is one which most businesses dread. One position, especially in a job-deprived market such as this, can garner hundreds of applications and ensue weeks or even months of review, interviews, and background checks. Then, after making a final selection, an employer may still hire the ‘wrong’ person for a job. The result is time and money lost, and possibly starting the process all over again for a new hire.
The Smart Hire Program takes the guesswork out of finding qualified individuals for unfilled positions. Even more noteworthy is the degree to which the hiring process is streamlined. UAV completes all of the pre-screening work, allowing the employer to save time, money and effort while finding the right candidate for their business.
“This streamlined hiring process alone is a great enough incentive for any business to consider UAV graduates for employment,” stated Mayor Parris. “The reimbursement deal is a guarantee and simply icing on the cake.”
Mayor Parris added that the city is proud to recognize Sandra and Marco Johnson in their continued effort to offer more than just another educational institution.
“They not only get students ‘job-ready,’ but also help facilitate job availability upon student graduation. What an outstanding opportunity Sandra and Marco are providing for employers to move forward, create jobs, and put UAV’s talented graduates to work right here in the Antelope Valley.”
For more information regarding on the Smart Hire program, contact Crystal Stephens at (661) 726-1911 or via email at crystal.stephens@uav.edu. For a complete list of qualifying positions, please visit www.CityofLancasterCA.org/UAV-SmartHire.
