Sessions

Public municipalities and private organizations throughout small towns are consistently plagued by talent management issues.  As their workforces grow closer to retirement age, recruiting & retaining younger talent is vital to the survival of many small businesses in these areas.  This session will cover and discuss the results of two studies that were conducted in 2023 and 2024.  The first looked at the biggest issues in hiring and training that 77 rural community banks are facing.  The second was a study that surveyed over 400 college students on two things: the most important factors to them in their post college careers, and their perceptions of rural America.  Together these studies can help us better understand the talent management issues facing rural areas.