How to recruit, motivate and retain effective student workers?

ABSTRACT

Louisiana State University's Biomedical Research Center is on a tight state funded budget, as are most state educational institutions. Resources are constantly being exhausted and managers are stricken with the task of maximizing their resources to the fullest. Fortunately, the Technology Support Group (TSG) staff has found a way to use the asset of student employees to hurdle this obstacle. Due to the abundance of biomedical and scientific software and hardware that we support, the training period for a student worker is much longer than normal. In view of the fact that Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) is not located on the main LSU Campus, the institution is required to maintain its own infrastructure including networking, purchasing software/hardware, telephony, etc. This process Includes:

• Recruit student workers with specific qualities
  • Contact ISDS Department Heads and teachers on Campus regarding top of the class students
  • Look for Motivation, Dedication and Maturity - these qualities can not be taught
  • Hire Freshmen and Sophomores for long term employment
• Motivate student workers on a daily basis
  • Include in Staff meetings and decision making
  • Take students to the Novell and Microsoft Tech Days
  • "White Paper" Technology - as new hardware and software is explored a student is assign the White Paper for that technology
• Retain student workers for a period of 3 to 4 years
  • Offer the students Microsoft and other software training classes with no cost to them; training for the students funded by the TSG budget
  • Assign special projects (ex: wireless, PDA implementation, web design, etc.)
  • Increase student worker salary on the anniversary of their hire date or after accomplishment of a major project

.This paper will express the details of recruitment, motivation and retention of quality student workers at LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management
          Subjects: Staffing

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management
          Subjects: Training; Management techniques (e.g., PERT/CPM)

General Terms:
Human Factors, Management, Performance, Reliability, Standardization

Keywords:
human factors, management, recruitment, staffing models, student management, student workers, technology training needs, wireless