UpHouse Introduces Six-Stage Workforce Development Framework to Help Industries Attract and Develop Talent

New framework addresses workforce challenges beyond recruitment, connecting sector perception, career awareness, training pathways & successful workforce entry

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — UpHouse, a creative and marketing agency working with organizations across Canada and the United States, has introduced a six-stage workforce development framework designed to help industries attract new workers, expand career pathways and address barriers that traditional recruitment campaigns may overlook.

The framework comes as employers and industry organizations face a combination of workforce challenges, including an aging workforce, changing skill requirements, competition for specialized talent and difficulties connecting prospective workers with training and employment opportunities.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030, while 63% identified skill gaps as a major barrier to business transformation. These challenges are increasing pressure on industries to consider how they attract, prepare and develop future workers.

“Many industries are competing for the same pool of qualified workers, but recruitment alone doesn’t necessarily increase the number of people available to enter those industries,” said Alex Varricchio, CEO and co-founder of UpHouse. “We need to think more broadly about how people discover careers, how they develop an interest in them and what support they need to actually enter the workforce.”

A Six-Stage Approach to Workforce Development

UpHouse’s framework organizes workforce development around six interconnected stages. The framework helps employers, industry associations, educational institutions, workforce organizations and community partners understand where barriers exist and how their efforts can work together across the career journey.

1. Perception: Addressing the beliefs, stereotypes and barriers that influence whether someone can imagine a future working in a particular industry.

2. Awareness: Making career opportunities more visible and helping prospective workers understand available roles, required qualifications and potential career pathways.

3. Interest: Building consideration through employer branding, employee value propositions, career development opportunities and access to training, including free programs, apprenticeships and on-the-job learning.

4. Experience: Creating opportunities for people to explore careers through workplace tours, hands-on demonstrations, career events, job shadowing and other real-world interactions.

5. Application: Reducing barriers between interest and action through clearer application processes, accessible information, training pathways and candidate communications.

6. Entry: Supporting successful workforce participation through onboarding, training, orientation, mentorship and ongoing communications.

Traditional recruitment campaigns focus on people who are qualified and actively looking for work, but industries also need to reach those who may have relevant skills or potential and have never considered entering the sector. This includes students, newcomers, career changers and workers with transferable skills. Barriers often begin well before the application, from outdated perceptions and limited career awareness to a lack of information about training programs and pathways into employment.

“Someone might have exactly the skills an industry needs but never consider working there because they don’t understand the opportunities or can’t see a clear pathway in,” said Varricchio. “Workforce development needs to address those earlier barriers, alongside the practical steps that help people move into new careers.”

Addressing these challenges requires coordination among employers, industry associations, educators and community organizations. UpHouse’s framework provides a way to connect their efforts, identify gaps and measure progress across the full workforce journey, from changing perceptions and generating interest to training, applications and successful entry. Organizations can apply the approach across industries including construction, tourism, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, agriculture and transportation.

Learn More About the Framework

UpHouse explores the six stages and how they can help industries address workforce challenges in its new article, From Perception to Entry: A Better Workforce Development Funnel.

About UpHouse

UpHouse is a B Corp-certified creative and marketing agency helping organizations build stronger connections with the people they need to reach. With operations in Canada and the United States, UpHouse provides strategy, branding, creative campaigns, public relations, creator marketing, experiential marketing, media and digital services.

The agency works with employers, industry associations, government organizations and other partners to address workforce challenges through sector perception, recruitment and career awareness campaigns, employer branding, experiential recruitment, application conversion and workforce communications.

Learn more at www.uphouseinc.com.

Alex Varricchio
UpHouse
alex@uphouseinc.com
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