8th Annual Economic Roundtable to Focus on Workforce Development

Proactive economic development is central to the continued growth of the economy in McKinley County. At the GGEDC, our goal is to help stimulate economic growth and improve the quality of life for our citizens. To do so, we continue to address key aspects of our regional economy that influence that growth.

By bringing together community members and stakeholders for an annual Economic Roundtable, we are able to address key issues and identify opportunities for growth and change. This year's Economic Roundtable will focus on Workforce Development for Construction, Logistics and Manufacturing. These are potential growth sectors for the economy of McKinley County, as identified during the workforce development planning undertaken by Innovate+Educate.

Available Workforce

For local companies in the construction, logistics and manufacturing sectors to grow, our community will need to fill employment opportunities with our existing residents. Companies considering locating in McKinley County will also be looking at the available workforce to determine if this will be a good place to locate and grow. To deliver this key economic benefit, we need to ensure that the local workforce has the skills necessary to thrive in these industries. Our Economic Roundtable will focus on this key issue, open up a dialogue, and identify ways to ensure that the skills of our local workforce match the demands of these growing business sectors.

Community Collaboration is the Key

The GGEDC Economic Roundtable is designed to facilitate discussion and collaboration. We believe that stakeholders and participants have knowledge that, when combined, can be useful to solve the workforce challenges that our community is facing.

Each participant will be given the equal opportunity to contribute. Using the bar-camp method, participants will be separated into smaller groups so that they can engage with subject matter experts for more detailed and thorough interactions. Throughout the day, the group will rotate to another table to engage a new group of experts. At the conclusion of the day, these interactions and conversations will be used to generate recommendations that can be used to address and solve workforce challenges.

Planning For the Future

"The most important issue facing local growth and the ability for companies to grow is a trained workforce. For the economic development community, delivering high quality workers is essential for a community to be competitive. And without the delivery systems of workforce development and workforce being aligned and working together, many communities will miss their ability to win in the race for jobs and improved standards of living” said Jeff Finkle, President/CEO, International Economic Development Council.

To continue growing McKinley County’s economy, we need to think ahead and work towards the future. Collaborating on issues such as workforce development allow us to do so.

As a community, our strengths lie within each other. This Economic Roundtable brings key members of the community together so that we can leverage each other’s strengths and use our internal knowledge to push our economy forward.

We look forward to the 2018 Economic Roundtable and reporting on the recommendations that result from it.