Building Bridges: Community & Professional Networking Workshop Ideates Path Forward
More than 100 individuals from Kansas City’s tech ecosystem gathered for KC TechBridge's Community and Professional Networking workshop. Participants said they left feeling empowered, connected, secure and valued.
Beyond the positive vibes, this session produced something even more valuable: a clear assessment of where we are and actionable ideas for where we need to go.
Taking Stock: The Golden Question
We asked participants to rate their confidence in our region's ability to solve tech talent challenges using existing solutions and partnerships. 77% rated their confidence at 3 or lower on a 5-point scale.
What does this mean? Our tech community is unsure whether our region’s existing solutions and partnerships are sufficient in their current form.
What's Working (And What Needs Work)
When we asked participants to rank existing solution themes, clear patterns emerged:
Strong Foundation Areas:
Education Partnership Hub (68% rated as top priority)
Hiring Center of Excellence (78% rated as top priority)
Talent Networks (65% rated as top priority, though responses were notably split)
The most effective strategies our community identified? Connection to trusted talent pools, quality pre-employment experiences, and fast-tracked partnerships topped the list. Close behind were openly sharing workforce demands, organizing and connecting networks, and leveraging data and storytelling.
Fresh Ideas: What Came Out of the Workshop
The real magic happened when we asked participants to imagine new solutions. Two themes emerged that cut across all the ideas: job clarity and filling the 'accountability gap' with trust – specifically, creating opportunities for talent to build and demonstrate their ability to meet employer expectations.
Employer Practices That Make a Difference
Participants emphasized the opportunity for updating how employers operate:
Standardizing job descriptions and postings to cut through the noise
Mapping compensation to skills families
Creating incentives for training, recruiting and coordinated efforts
Offering paid pre-employment experiences like practicums and apprenticeships, where talent can polish and demonstrate skills
Strengthening Education Partnerships
The conversation around education partnerships focused on accessibility and real-world experience:
Building accessible direct connections from education and training programs to first jobs – one place for all employers to go, with no paywall
Creating one-year experiential rotations that provide relevant, current experience to level up entry-level talent (think: AI in practice)
Providing “Shark Tank"-style opportunities for talent to demonstrate abilities, serving as practical assessments
Building Network Strength
Several ideas centered on better connecting the players in our ecosystem:
Centralizing a trusted tech talent hub that connects employers and job seekers, backed by heavy networking, marketing and playbook-driven guidance
Hosting scheduled networking events and connecting existing networking groups
Developing digital solutions for matching and mapping KC tech jobs
The Top Priorities
When we asked participants to rate these new solutions, three rose to the top:
Paid pre-employment experiences
Simplifying and standardizing jobs in the KC market
Centralized data and reporting
What This Means for KC TechBridge
This workshop validated the coalition’s direction and sharpened our focus. The community is telling us they're ready for bolder action, more coordination and solutions that create real accountability and trust between employers and talent.
We're listening. And, together, we're getting to work.
Want to be part of shaping KC's tech talent future? Stay connected with KC TechBridge for upcoming workshops and opportunities to contribute.
