As the new president of Snohomish County’s Workforce Development Council, Sue Ambler has her work cut out for her.
Numerous surveys and just casual conversion with employers in the county have shown the No. 1 task for most is finding enough qualified people to engineer, machine or assemble things such as planes and boats, or to help develop a medicine to fight cancer.
The council plays a key role in developing and finding those workers because its main purpose is to distribute millions of federal and state dollars annually for recruiting and job training. It operates local WorkSource offices to help job seekers.
Ambler was called in to run the agency last year after questions were raised about hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent. She said the council has a new strategic plan and she’s working hard to incorporate it in the agency’s daily operations.
“We had a strategic plan, but we never had it put to an operational level,” Ambler said. “It sat on a shelf. Now it’s a living document.”
What the plan calls for is:
Dale Peinecke, council chairman, said he and other council members intend to be more active in helping the agency meet its goals. Peinecke is president and chief executive officer of Giddens Industries, which mostly makes airplane fuselages.
He said he personally knows the difficulty of seeking a trained work force and has been short by 10 to 12 employees for the past year.
“Finding a trained workforce has always been an issue,” he said. “We (the council) really need to step up so businesses can continue to grow and people can find jobs and find better jobs.”
Peinecke noted that while manufacturing jobs have declined around the country, Snohomish County “is very manufacturing oriented.”
Ambler agreed.
“We need to promote educational opportunities,” she said. “That is very important.”
The Legislature’s approval of a new branch campus for the University of Washington in the area will certainly help in that regard. But Ambler said that’s just one aspect of the needed training.
“We need to promote very good manufacturing jobs even at the high school level,” she said. “We need people to make airplanes, to build boats, to create highways. We need to help up and coming kids see those jobs as viable careers. We need those people.”
Ambler noted that the job pay in many of the manufacturing or construction jobs is just one element.
“Big signs saying (how much an hour), that’s not very sexy,” Ambler said. “They want to know what they will do.”
To that end, the council has organized a construction carnival Thursday at Smokey Point filled with demonstrations on what workers do, such as framing a house, interpreting blueprints and riding a boom lift.
Following its new strategy, the agency has partnered with a number of local unions, the Master Builders education foundation, Edmonds Community College and some private companies to put on the event.
Last week, the council hosted an aerospace conference to talk about needed workers and training in the industry.
Noting that 47 percent of Snohomish County residents work in King County, Ambler said her agency is also trying to get more trained workers to either come here or stay here to work.
To help accomplish its goals, the organization moved earlier this month into the same offices as the Snohomish County Economic Development Council.
“We need to work this together,” Ambler said.
Heather Villars, agency spokeswoman, agreed.
“We have to start working more collaboratively,” she said. “It’s really important that we maintain our business focus and listen to businesses and what they need.”
Business editor Mike Benbow: 425-339-3459 or benbow@heraldnet.com.
Construction carnival
Young people can get a much better sense of whats involved in construction jobs during a series of demonstrations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday in the Smokey Point area.
Demonstrations include framing a house, wielding a cutting torch, plumbing a kitchen, installing a sprinkler, working with concrete or plaster, installing windows, laying brick, hanging drywall, insulating an attic, painting a wall, using a plumb bob, riding a boom lift, interpreting blueprints, using rigging and hoisting devices and installing
carpet.
The fair will be at in the fields adjacent to the Naval Family Support Center, at 13914 45th Ave. NE.
For more information, call Sam Samano at 425-921-3419.
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