Hamilton-Ryker CEO Addresses Congress on Skills Gap

Kelly McCreight, president and chief executive officer of Hamilton-Ryker and 2018 chairman of the American Staffing Association, spoke to Congress on steps his company is taking to address the skills gap, which is plaguing many American employers.

McCreight appeared at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss innovative solutions small business owners have developed to address skills gaps.

Hamilton-Ryker has taken a proactive approach to this challenge with the following:

Upskilling current workforce

Virtual reality is used to assess existing skills and identify areas where training can increase the skills of temporary employees. Hamilton-Ryker is one of the first staffing and recruiting agencies to use VR for assessment and training.

Increasing skill levels

Hamilton-Ryker is also using VR to test and train forklift drivers. Since installing the VR forklift earlier this year, the company has been able to more accurately assess and train forklift drivers for employer clients, increasing the pass rate of applicants by 40 percent.

Building soft skills

McCreight noted that Hamilton-Ryker has also turned their focus to soft skills that make temporary employees more marketable. These include conflict resolution, avoiding workplace violence and basic workplace practices such as on-time arrival to work, call-in procedures and dealing with differing workplace cultures.

About Hamilton Ryker

Founded in 1971, Hamilton-Ryker® is a total workforce solution and industry leader for the provision of industrial, administrative and information technology staffing, as well as recruiting, management consulting and information technology solutions. The company is headquartered in Tennessee, with 35 locations across the U.S.

About Kelly McCreight

McCreight began his career with Hamilton-Ryker in 1993 as a staffing coordinator. Over his more than 20 years with the firm, he has worked as a vendor-on-premise, branch manager, business development manager and controller; he became president and CEO of Hamilton-Ryker in 2009. McCreight is also a past president of the Tennessee Staffing Association and the current treasurer of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce.