Workforce Development

“For a long time, we've had this retirement crisis looming over the industry,” said ConstructReach CEO Paul Robinson.

The advanced manufacturing program provides forklift certification training and bioscience programs partially funded by a $1 million award through a federal grant.

Some companies have established robust training programs because educational institutions and other local programs aren’t pumping out enough new workers.

Black women make up the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, but their motivations to be their own boss stem from systemic racism and misogyny in corporate America.

Around 14% of all staff positions at hospitals were vacant in 2023, a rate that’s lower than it was at the height of the pandemic but still higher than in 2019.

“Many employers have a requirement for a four-year degree, but slowly and surely they’re realizing a four-year degree doesn’t mean everyone that comes out has the skills and ability to do the role,” said one leader of a tech training organization.

The center will enhance established regional sectors like aerospace, geospatial and biosciences, with its capacity to develop and prototype new ways of manufacturing, as well as provide a local workforce that understands those new techniques.

Lincoln University in Jefferson City and Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla are two of the 33 campuses nationwide that will be part of a $262 million effort to recruit and train the next generation of agriculture workers.

A St. Louis Community College report found the region gained almost 80,000 workers over the past 10 years.

Companies can claim a tax credit of $1,500 for each new paid intern or paid apprentice they hire up to $9,000.