Springfield Business Journal_2019-02-25
OFFICE/WAREHOUSE • 10,000 sq ft 2418-26 W. Vista Showroom, Office, Multi Dock, Drive In Doors • 10,000 sq ft 2335 E. Chestnut Expwy Multi Office, Dock, Drive In Door RETAIL • 3200 sq ft 2809 W. Chestnut Expressway • 3200 sq ft 2811 W Chestnut Expressway • 5600 sq ft 2845-C W. Chestnut Expressway 1630-H E. Bradford Parkway Springfield, MO 65804 Ph: 831.3885 Fx: 831.0908 www.wehrjohnson.com OWNER/DEVELOPER A m p l e I n d u s t r i e s Custom Pressure Sensitive Labels 417-725-2657 www.amplelabels.com 3D Virtual Proofing Digital & Flexo Printing Whether you need 10 labels or 10,000,000 we have the labeling solution for you! Full Service Label Design 54 · SBJ.NET FEB. 25-MARCH 3, 2019 FROM THE COVER Right people for right roles According to the survey, the top three reasons employers face hiring challenges are a lack of relevant work experience, 36 percent; insufficient number of applicants, 34 percent; and lack of relevant technical or occupa- tional skills, 30 percent. In the 2018 survey, the same respons- es also ranked in the top three. Hiring difficulties noted in the survey resonated with An- drew Hedgpeth, vice president of human resources for CoxHealth. He noted 10,000 baby boomers are reaching retirement age every day, making it tougher for employ- ers to find an adequate number of qualified candidates to fill available positions. “The biggest thing holding us back from what is already a good economy to become an explosive economy is the ability to connect the right skilled people into the right roles,” Hedgpeth said. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach to making sure we tend to our economy and grow our workforce for the next generation.” Unemployment in the Springfield met- ropolitan statistical area was at 2.6 percent in December – a rate Rojas said has been as low as 1.9 percent. She added programs such as the Job Center’s Change One Thousand pre-employment soft skills academy is important to better prepare adults for the changing workforce. She said the program has graduated eight cohorts thus far with a 51 percent employment rate, not- ing some of the graduates have been offered more than one job upon graduation. Event keynote speaker Laith Wardi, president of ExecutivePulse Inc., an Erie, Pennsylvania-based business retention and expansion consulting firm, said soft skills are vital. The days of an employer simply hiring a worker based on whether they can hold a broom and sweep are long gone. “The make or break in terms of longevity and if you fit into the corporate culture and all that good stuff is soft skills,” he said. Not alone in this Scot Scobee, director of human resources at Springfield ReMan- ufacturing Corp., said he was glad to see GO CAPS mentioned at the event as one of the standout programs. SRC was involved in the original focus group for the program and a major sponsor when it debuted in 2015. “We realized that’s a bridge between in- dustry and education,” he said. Like the Job Center, SRC isn’t shy about addressing workforce issues, said Krisi Schell, director of talent, culture and com- munity development with SRC Holdings. The survey results and the Feb. 20 work- force event spread the word of com- mon challenges among employers, along with pro- grams that might help lead to solu- tions, she said. “It helps us to see we’re not alone in this,” Schell said. “Everybody’s feel- ing the same symp- toms and effects of low unemploy- ment. It also gives us a chance to collabo- rate with workforce development at the Missouri Job Center.” A total of 506 completed surveys were reported for 2019, down from 575 re- sponses in 2018, said Katherine Trombetta, Missouri Job Center business services spe- cialist. She attributed the drop-off to a later start than usual to getting the survey avail- able online in mid-November 2018. Krisi Schell : Most employers are feeling the same effects of low unemployment. Andrew Hedgpeth : An all-hands-on-deck approach is needed for the workforce. 2.6% Unemployment rate in the Springfield metropolitan statistical area in December 2018 Survey: Job Center program has 51% employment rate through 8 cohorts Continued from page 1
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