HSU, CR partner with Job Market on workforce development

Last summer, Humboldt State University joined forces with the College of the Redwoods to launch the Humboldt Workforce Coalition (HWC) to keep adult and youth workforce programs operating locally. HWC staff are co-located at the Job Market in downtown Eureka with the Employment Development Department (EDD) and a host of other community partners that help job seekers, laid-off workers, youth, veterans, and people with disabilities train and find living-wage jobs in our region. While HWC has experienced our share of growing pains this year, we look forward to working closely with local businesses to help get more residents into the workforce. We are thankful to the Humboldt County Workforce Board for the trust they have put in this budding coalition and to the forward-thinking leadership of Humboldt County Director of Economic Development Scott Adair.

As part of the development of the Humboldt Workforce Coalition, I agreed to take over the duties of the regional organizer, which includes aligning workforce development, education and economic development efforts to engage employer/ industry champions and promote services to individuals with barriers to employment by supporting ongoing dialogue between labor, business, education and community.

Thanks to recent funding from the Board of Supervisors, HWC is installing new computers and equipment to help job seekers connect to local jobs, create resumes, and attend free skills training programs. Thinking about going to college? HWC can help qualified clients pay for schooling and certification programs, transportation, and even clothing required by an employer. Been a while since you interviewed for a job? HWC can help prepare and give you feedback on your interview skills. Are you an employer with a job that you just can’t seem to fill? HWC can help you find candidates with the skills you need. If you’ve been thinking about getting a job, or you’re an employer looking for employees, give HWC a call at 707441-5627.

HWC also has funding to help youth gain work experience for summer or year-round employment, pre-apprenticeship, on-the-job training, or internships and job shadowing. Partners are located in every region of Humboldt County, including Dream Quest (Eastern), Mattole Restoration Council (Southern), McKinleyville Family Resource Center (Northern), and HWC (Eureka and the Eel River Valley). Humboldt County Office of Education has programs to help in-school youth get work experience as well. We are all eager to help our local youth get into careers where they can prosper!

In December, Operating Engineers Local 3 hosted a tour of the Journeyman and Apprentice Training Center located just outside of Sacramento for representatives from the construction and energy industry, environmentalists, HSU, Humboldt County Economic Development Department and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority. It was wonderful to see the 1500 acre property filled with over 100 different pieces of equipment that folks learn how to operate for free if they are interested in joining the Union. Every trade has a program similar to OE3’s to help with training, and our tour made me eager to get to know them all. My big takeaway — women

moving the earth! Cat Lytle, the director of training for the Center, really schooled me on just how many women are choosing careers as operator engineers. It makes me want to work to assure that we expose every local youth to every industry, make sure they know there’s a job they can do, and that they can stay in our community to be healthy, wealthy and wise.

Whether it’s road improvements, broadband, offshore wind or a variety of other projects planned for Humboldt’s future, we have an amazing opportunity to help residents pursue careers in the trades while keeping area dollars and our workforce local.