Small businesses also have relatively fewer employees, each one of whom typically performs multiple roles that a larger company could assign to several people. Major employers more often have a specialized human resources staff with the time to attend partnership meetings and to develop and administer placements. Cultivating these connections builds a sense of community and encourages a culture of participation, which gradually may assume momentum, attracting other small businesses into the system. To create this kind of network requires thinking of small business involvement as a long-term partnership, one that means building trust and relationships based on mutual respect and benefit. Although building upon personal connections is essential when recruiting small businesses, and in smaller communities may be an adequate strategy, practitioners report success with other approaches that build upon the foundation of personal networks.
Financial incentives can reduce the direct financial burden on small businesses.
However, the ability of incentives to encourage small business participation is uncertain. Issues such as the red tape associated with government support may limit the appeal that financial incentives have to small business. Experience suggests that an employment specialist, acting as an intermediary between school and employer, can develop an understanding of the special needs and concerns of small businesses. By devoting time and resources specifically to recruiting employers, employment specialists build relationships with small businesses which otherwise might have been overlooked. Intermediary organizations can supply this missing resource.