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Emily Andrews, Executive Director of the St. Louis Regional Chapter of the USGBC, and Rod Nunn, Vice Chancellor for Workforce and Community Development at St. Louis Community College discussed "What Are Green Jobs?" on the KY98 "Metro Show" program. Listen to this broadcast
Rod Nunn, Vice Chancellor for Workforce and Community Development at St. Louis Community College, and Julie Gibson, Missouri Director of Workforce Development discussed the State of the St. Louis Workforce, services available to dislocated workers, and new and emerging employment opportunities such as green jobs on the KWMU program "St. Louis on the Air." Listen to this broadcast
The results of this survey will help economic development and workforce planners gauge the readiness of workers who have been laid off during to recession to retraining with new skills that will drive the post-recovery economy. The survey will also provide useful information that will help determine the optimum schedule and length of training programs and the correct mix of services necessary to assure that workers will be able to complete training and re-engage in the workplace.
The survey of dislocated workers suggests some major challenges for workforce development officials and policy makers. Although some of these challenges are new, most are continuations, at a faster pace, of trends that we have already seen over the last 30 years. These challenges include "How to balance the design of programs between short-term programs that can quickly re-engage workers, perhaps at lower wage levels, with longer term programs necessary to qualify workers for high demand, high wage occupations" and "How to provide wage supports, through stipends or on the job training, that could sustain a family through a one year or more training program". Read more
State of the St. Louis Workforce
On behalf of St. Louis Community College, the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment and the St. Louis County Division of Workforce Development, we are pleased to bring to the community the 2009 State of St. Louis Workforce Report. We believe that this report provides critical workforce intelligence that business, economic development and education decision makers will find valuable as they develop strategies to address a changed environment for business development, economic development and talent development for our region.
The St. Louis region, like many others across our nation, has been significantly impacted by the rapid deterioration of our economy and labor market. Most experts predict a long and slow recovery unlike typical recoveries from the cyclical recessions we have experienced over the last 30 years. Some predict a national unemployment rate in excess of 10% lasting well into 2011. Our region may be faced with even greater challenges as structural changes in our economy, which have been occurring at a steady pace over the last several years, will almost certainly be accelerated. The rapid and severe decline in manufacturing employment, particularly the automotive industry; the increase in financial services, health care and education; the emerging plant science industry; and the dynamic nature of information technology employment all require new thinking and new strategies by those whose job it is to develop the talent that will drive the region's post-recovery economy.
Missouri is fortunate to have one of the finest state labor market information offices in the nation. The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), a unit of the Missouri Department of Economic Development worked closely with us to build upon existing labor market data with real time information from regional employers representing a cross section of industry sectors and dislocated workers faced with tremendous challenges in preparing to re-engage in a post-recovery economy.
The report is made up of several parts including: the results of a survey of over 1,537 employers focusing on the effects of the recession and plans for a post-recovery period; a survey of 447 dislocated workers asking them about their challenges and plans for re-employment; and case studies of 6 companies providing additional context to the survey data. We believe that, together, these components provide greater focus for evaluating a changed economy and labor market and will contribute to making the critical decisions that may affect our region for years to come.
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| Gene Gorden | Michael Homes | Rod Nunn |
