A champion’s perspective: “Entry-level” is a loose term

“Entry-level" means something different to every employer, and for training providers like Centriq, that gap between expectation and reality shapes everything from curriculum design to candidate placement. We sat down with Kevin Grawe, owner of Centriq Training, and Caleb George, and vice president of operations at Centriq Training, for their views of where the Kansas City tech talent pipeline is working, where it's stalling and what employers could do right now to change the outcome.

Q: Looking at the learners you serve, where do you see the greatest unmet demand from employers, and where are you struggling to place otherwise strong graduates?

Most employers are still looking for candidates with one to two years of experience when they say “entry level” and will pass on our students due to lack of experience.

Q: What patterns do you see in employer behavior (speed of hiring, feedback, job requirements) that either accelerate or slow down the placement of your graduates into tech roles?

Our consistent employer partners have a quick hiring process because they understand our typical candidates. They also provide timely feedback and align their skill sets with requirements. New hiring partners move slowly and provide very little feedback on the process and the candidates that we send them.

Q: How are you currently using employer‑level data to decide what programs to launch, expand, or sunset, and where do you wish you had better information?

We are always reviewing employer data to review our current program and looking for trends in new categories to create additional programs. Any insights into future entry-level jobs would be extremely helpful.

Q: If KC TechBridge could convene a small group of employers around one specific role family, what would you want to learn from them to refine your programs.

For Help Desk and entry-level Software Developers, we want to know what core skills you are looking for in this entry-level role and how you see this evolving over the next couple of years.