EDA focused on workforce development

PANAMA CITY — Talent is the new economic development currency, and Bay County has a deficit. 

At a monthly investors’ meeting Wednesday, members of the Bay County Economic Development Alliance (EDA) discussed ways to address the area’s lack of skilled workers, often one of the first things companies look for during site selection.

“For the last year and a half, we have talked a lot about workforce and education … and how important it is to the economic development process,” said EDA Director Neal Wade. “I think over the last 25 years, what used to be sites and incentives to throw a project is now workforce.” 

Jennifer Grove, workforce development coordinator for Gulf Power Co., served as the keynote speaker at the meeting, outlining strategies to close the gap between where students are headed and where the jobs are.

Grove also serves as the co-chair for Workforce Florida and the executive director of the newly formed Northwest Florida Manufacturers Council, an organization focused on boosting the number of skilled workers in the region.

“… [O]ver and over again, [workforce is] number one or two in every site selection and expansion decision now,” Grove said. “It’s really gaining in steam.”

Now more than ever, Grove said, there is a need for workers who are both skilled and well-educated. However, as fewer students pursue technical training, the demand is not being met. 

“We’ve had fewer students in our country pursuing technical training programs,” Grove said. “We have [discouraged] students from moving into training programs that really prepare them with the skills they need to hit the ground running.”

Additionally, Grove said students entering college are not focused on the next step of transitioning into the workforce.   

With manufacturing poised to be a key driver in the Northwest Florida economy, Grove said a push for skills programs in secondary and post-secondary education will become increasingly important, as will implementing high school career academies. 

From June 2012 to June 2013, the manufacturing industry gained 904 jobs in the region, and supports about 17,062 indirect jobs. In the next five years, the industry will need an estimated 3,400 new and replacement workers.

“Most of these jobs do not require post-secondary degrees but do require very specialized training,” Grove said.

Overall, Grove said the focus should be on a long-term path with short-term quick wins.

“This is a long-haul commitment,” Grove said. “This is something that if a community decides to take it on … it’s something that needs deep institutional support.”