Springfield Business Journal_2019-07-29

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 17 JULY 29-AUG. 4, 2019 2019 ECONOMIC IMPACT AWARDS by Christine Temple ctemple@sbj.net Low unemployment rates and a growing economy create a real chal- lenge for local employers. How does a business grow without access to the right workforce? “There’s definitely a shortage in terms of the number of workers avail- able. Employers don’t have that large of a pool to draw from with available workers,” says Mary Ann Rojas, the city’s director of Workforce Develop- ment and the Missouri Job Center. “The common denominator is a lack of necessary skills.” Rojas and 27 volunteers on the Ozark Region Workforce Develop- ment Board are actively working to fill the pipeline of workers to support economic expansion for the local community – and they’ve found edu- cation and access to be the key. Those priorities are informed by the Missouri Job Center’s annual MOmentum State of the Workforce Survey, which found among the 500- plus business leaders surveyed that 40% were planning to hire full-time employees and 67% were having dif- ficulty filling positions. That’s where the Workforce Devel- opment Board steps in. “We’re a central hub for employ- ers to use to reach applicants,” says Rojas. Last year, she says the Missouri Job Center partnered with over 500 busi- nesses to conduct 189 hiring events attracting nearly 4,400 job seekers. It also graduated 225 people from its 18-month old Change One Thou- sand workforce development pro- gram, which addresses soft skills in an eight-day program in partnership with Bryan University. “Believe it or not we do have in- dividuals who have those technical skills (but) lack those soft skills. That puts a hamper on career progres- sion,” Rojas says. “The whole focus of Change One Thousand is on emotional intelli- gence, self awareness and building confidence.” The Workforce Development Board was established in 1998 to support businesses through educa- tion and training. Today, it contin- ues that mission in Christian, Dallas, Greene, Polk, Stone, Taney and Web- ster counties by working through the Missouri Job Centers in Springfield and Branson. Under the U.S. Work- force Innovation and Opportunity Act, the governing board must have a minimum of 51% business owners and chief executive or operating of- ficers, as well as local representatives of education, economic development, labor, government and community organizations. “Their charge is to develop a stra- tegic plan for workforce development for the region,” Rojas says. Another pillar of the board’s strategy is growing the pipeline of fu- ture job seekers by engaging students still in school. Rojas says Build My Future, a partnership with the city, Home Builders Association of Great- er Springfield, Springfield Contrac- tors Association and other industry and economic development partners, hosted over 2,700 high school stu- dents from across the state for the event in April. “It gives students an opportunity to give jobs a test run,” Rojas says. “From bricklaying to operating a backhoe.” She says there’s single one answer to growing the local workforce; rath- er it’s a combination of initiatives and programs that will support local em- ployers as they grow. BUSINESS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR Ready to Work Ozark Region Workforce Development Board • Partnered with over 500 businesses to host 189 hiring events in 2018 • 27-person volunteer board comprises of business owners, executives and industry leaders • 225 graduates in Change One Thousand workforce development program since its start in February 2018 JESSICA ROSA Bill Smillie,from left, Mary Ann Rojas and Cynthia Collins help connect businesses with employees.