Transcript Wo - Sector Boards

Workforce Development
Pottawattamie County’s
Workforce Alignment Grant
www.workforcealignment.com
The Imperative
The most critical factor in site selection for
businesses is no longer tax breaks or
infrastructure.
The supply of talent (skilled workforce) is the #1
issue cited by many companies when choosing or
staying in a location.
A Definition
• Workforce Development is a collaborative approach to
the gradual creation of a stable and prosperous local
economy by improving individuals’ work-related skills,
knowledge and employment opportunities. In a typical
scenario, economic development experts analyze the
area’s short and long term human resources needs, and
stakeholders collaborate to create an employment
“pipeline”, whereby workers are educated and the
graduates are employed in such a way as to fill the
region’s most pressing worker needs.
Definition, continued
• This requires an on-going dialogue between the players
involved (local government, education, businesses,
economic and workforce development), each of whom
brings a unique and essential perspective. As a region
improves its workforce skill and capacity, it is better able
to attract new businesses and diversify its economy. This
in turn creates more and better jobs, and more choices
for workers in the area. As employment prospects
improve, a community is more likely to retain its citizens
and those citizens in turn contribute to the local
economy and tax base.
Statistics for the County
Population:
Per capita income:
Bachelor’s degree+:
Those age 24-44:
2010 Graduation rate:
Workers age 55+:
93, 158
$36,342
17.3%
25.4%
83.1%
21.4%
(2010)
The Local Picture
• The unemployment rate for the county is 4.5%;
Iowa’s rate is 4.9%
• The unemployment rate for 16-19 year olds is
28%. For 20-24 year olds it’s 10%.
• Many baby boomers (21% of the workforce) will
leave the workforce in the next 10 years.
Commuting Patterns
• About 46,000 workers live in Pottawattamie
County. Of these, 18,315 work in Douglas or
Sarpy counties in NE.
• 8,807 people from Douglas & Sarpy work in
Pottawattamie County.
Major Sectors/Employers
• In addition to strong farm employment, this region’s
economy is dominated by three sectors. The
majority of the employment is in the health services,
retail trade/accommodations and food services
sectors.
• Top employers in the region include: Tyson Foods;
Harveys; Ameristar; Conagra; Alegent Health;
Jennie Edmundson; Oakland Foods; Iowa Western
Community College; and the City of Council Bluffs
Business Survey Results
In December of 2012, 150 metro area businesses
responded to a workforce needs survey.
- 59% named the lack of job-related experience
and skills as the biggest problem with job
applicants.
- “Soft skills” (work ethic, attendance, acceptable
behavior, interpersonal skills) was the biggest
problem noted with incumbent workers (64%).
Survey Results, continued
- Lack of digital (computer) literacy was cited as a
problem by 19% of employers. This is particularly
significant when nearly all job applications must
be completed on-line.
- 36% of the respondents said they have trouble
filling technical jobs, and 26.7% have trouble
filling production jobs.
Strengthens
• Low unemployment rate = availability of jobs in the county
• Support and input of regional economic developers
• Community interest in and collaboration on workforce issues
as demonstrated by the Task Force and the Regional
Workforce Investment Board
• Businesses who recognize workforce issues and are willing to
help address them
• Responsive and involved training provider - Iowa Western
Community College
• Involvement of secondary schools who understand the value
of partnering to improve results
• Growing alliance with Omaha’s workforce system, Heartland
Workforce Solutions
Weaknesses
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High percentage of job seekers who lack a high school diploma
Many workers lack digital literacy skills
Job seekers lack skills needed for available jobs
Lack of work readiness programs for youth (especially those with
challenges), including job shadowing and internship programs.
Difficult for businesses (especially in rural communities) to recruit talent
Tough for businesses to retain skilled employees
Need to do a better job of preparing new Iowans (especially those with
limited English) for jobs with local businesses
Workers lack soft skills – good work ethics and behaviors, as well as
communication and interpersonal skills
Lower income workers need affordable housing, transportation, and child
care
The talent gap in incumbent workers prevents retooling and promotion
Opportunities
• Collaboration with the Regional Workforce Investment
Board may allow for joint planning and grant
opportunities.
• The community college received funding for the I-AM
grant to prepare workers for jobs in advanced
manufacturing.
• Iowa’s GAP training funds can supplement federal
dollars to provide short term skill training.
• The Skilled Iowa Initiative lends state support to local
efforts to promote the National Career Readiness
Certificate (NCRC) usage.
• Work with the STEM advisory council to promote tech
skills.
Threats
• The talent deficit could cause businesses to leave
the county
• Little or no population growth projected
• Baby boomers leaving the workforce place
additional strain on businesses who struggle to
find skilled workers
• A large percentage of children in the county are
born to single mothers, which has a strong
correlation to poverty levels
The Ellison Technologies Example
One of the goals of the Task Force is to address specific
workforce needs businesses face.
In the fall of 2012, at a Workforce Development Task Force
meeting, Greg Olenick with Ellison Technologies described
their difficulty in recruiting qualified employees to work in
their robotic technology business. This led to
conversations with the CB and Lewis Central School
Districts which now have students tour and job shadow at
Ellison. IWCC partnered with Ellison to create a Robotics
Tech program to prepare students to work in this field.
Both efforts will help create a pipeline of qualified workers
in the advanced manufacturing field.
Strategic Planning
• University of Northern Iowa’s Institute for
Decision Making is facilitating the planning
process.
• Planning sessions on March 17, May 15 and June
18 will culminate in a multi-year plan to be
unveiled in July/August.
Future Plans
• When complete, the strategic plan will include goals,
objectives and action steps.
• Although it’s early in the process, some of the
themes that have emerged from the discussions are:
▫ The need for a responsive system to address the skills
gap
▫ The need to have leadership and meaningful
partnerships with businesses in order to understand
their needs
Other Themes
▫ Incumbent worker training to address the issue of
underemployment
▫ Communication/partnerships with education to
integrate the ‘real world’ into the classroom
▫ Better career education for young people including
internships
▫ Soft skills training starting in the K-12s
▫ Transportation and housing issues
Best Practices
There are many exemplary and innovative models
around the country that our community can look
to when mapping our future strategies. 2
examples are:
• STRIVE
• National Fund for Workforce Solutions
What’s Next?
The action steps resulting from the strategic plan
will likely require an investment of resources from
the primary stakeholders. It is also likely that
grant applications will be submitted to
appropriate sources to help support the
community as we collaborate to strengthen our
workforce system.
For more information
Mark Stanley
Executive Director of Economic and Workforce
Development
Iowa Western Community College
(712)325-3375
[email protected]
www.workforcealignment.com