Turning the Tide on Turnover: Small Business Solutions Through Education

When Bryan heard about the Educator Externship Program, he saw an opportunity to address retention challenges from a new angle. Rather than focusing solely on business-side solutions, the partnership with Christine, a K-12 Superintendent and School Counselor, would explore how better alignment between employer expectations and workforce preparation could reduce turnover rates. Christine’s sharp instincts and quick grasp of the work made an immediate impression.

“I know how smart she was and how quickly she would pick it up, so onboarding was well inside of two half days. Where I have people who take a month to do onboarding here.”

She tackled the challenge by meeting directly with SBDC clients to understand their specific retention pain points. Christine facilitated client meetings both in-person and virtually, gathering data through surveys and developing insights about what makes employees stay versus what drives them to leave. Her classroom experience translated directly to understanding workplace training and development needs.

Christine’s work revealed important gaps between what small businesses need from new employees and how students are being prepared for the workforce. She identified specific soft skills and job readiness competencies that could be better emphasized in K-12 education to improve long-term employee success and retention. Her dedication to the work went well beyond the required hours.

“I think she did over 300 hours, and she still wants to do it. It has everything to do with creating value for the students.”

This commitment reflected her understanding that workforce solutions require ongoing collaboration between education and business sectors. Bryan mentioned that his staff was very impressed with the ideas and the operations that improved with Christine on the team. The project also created pathways for what comes next.

“She’s ready to bring us into the classroom. Most of the businesses she worked with are interested in presenting, and about half are considering internships or job shadowing opportunities.”

These vital partnerships between industry and education give students direct exposure to employer expectations before entering the workforce.

The Small Business Development Center now has both immediate strategies for addressing client retention challenges and a sustainable model for ongoing collaboration with educators. For Bryan, the externship demonstrated how connecting business needs with educational insights can create solutions that benefit both sides of the workforce development equation.