NW Roundtable Survey: Lack of Skilled Workers

Fellow Member of the Northwest Roundtable of Economic Developers:

You are asked to participate in this “Lack of Skilled/Educated Workers” Taskforce Survey. Your responses will help to validate and prioritize the work to be done by this task force. As you go through the survey questions consider comments or requests you might like to be considered and add them in at the end. This exercise is as much an effort to ensure a broad-based approach to addressing the concern for a “Lack of Skilled / Educated Workforce” in the Northwest Region.

Completion of the survey should be 7 minutes or less. While comments are not required they do help to measure consensus on the direction you would like to see this taskforce take. Your comments will be included in with the organization of the work to be outlined.

Please plan to complete your survey by 4/13/15. At that time the survey responses will be summarized for reporting at the next Northwest Roundtable of ED’s meeting on April 16th. Know that your responses are strictly confidential and data from this research will be reported only in the aggregate.

The focus of this survey was commissioned by the leadership of the Roundtable in 2014. Your participation is important for moving this work forward in 2015. Thank you for your support and important feedback!

Sincerely,
Monica Bailey
NW Roundtable Chair
Atchison County Development Corporation

Please place in order of priority (with the top listed goal having more importance to the Roundtable and the bottom listed goal having less importance to the Roundtable) by clicking and dragging the following goals as outlined by the "Lack of Skilled / Educated Workforce" Task Force. Your prioritization is as much an opportunity for you to suggest any rewording or other goals that should be addressed by this work group. Please add your thoughts in the text box section further below.

Drag your choices here to rank them

Produce a comprehensive Northwest Roundtable of ED's document that serves to create awareness as well as to provide rationale and support for specific workforce related initiatives, including those of the Heartland Foundation, that are available in the NW Region. The document will be used to help empower communties and their constituents and is to be routinely updated.

Work with MERIC to develop a Workforce Availability Analysis Report for ED Projects that speaks to the quality and availability of capable and skilled workers across the NW Region, particularly for new & expanding businesses. Skill gaps noted by the analysis will receive further attention as to possible strategies that might help address the skill gaps.

Develop a Northwest Roundtable position statement, in partnership with Heartland Foundation, that encourages engagement of Northwest Region schools and our emerging workforce by the business community for the technical and soft skills needed by our new & expanding businesses. Models like Northland CAPS will be highlighted and encouraged. Included, as a way of endorsement and for visibility, will be the proactive programs presently active in various NW Region school systems.

Develop a Northwest Roundtable positiion statement that encourages county recognition within the Missouri-sponsored Certified WorkReady Community initiative to encourage those counties "in progress" or who have not yet engaged in the CWRC initiative. Such a statement would be periodically updated as needed to report progress being made in the Northwest region.

Increase awareness and usage of the Missouri Customized Training Program, as funding permits. This might be done through an annual brochure that highlights the past year's usage of the program. It might also report the need for increased funding levels to MEDC, as well as directly to Northwest Region legislators.

Should this be a developmental goal of the Northwest Roundtable's "Lack of Skilled / Educated Workforce" task force? - Attend workforce-specific training programs or workshops (some may be at a cost that the Roundtable could vote to cover or help cover) to share / recommend best practices to the full Northwest Roundtable Group. Any Roundtable member would be eligible.

YES

Should this be a developmental goal of the Northwest Roundtable's "Lack of Skilled / Educated Workforce" task force? - Attend key workforce development sessions at MEDC and the Missouri Governor's Conference on Economic Development (for those that might be attending anyway) to share / recommend best practices to the benefit of the full Northwest Roundtable.

YES

Should this be a developmental goal of the Northwest Roundtable's "Lack of Skilled / Educated Workforce" task force? - Incorporate specialty trainings (i.e. WorkKeys, Talify Missouri, My Success Event, etc) into the monthly meeting schedule based on need, recommendation and interest to help keep abreast of new developments in the workforce development arena. Establish a convenient means for lifting up training requests or recommendations.

YES

Use this box to add your comments or suggestions for inclusion in an overall "Lack of Skilled/Educated Workers" strategy outline. Thank you for your time and participation!