Workforce Development Council: October Meeting
Pierre, SD –The Pierre/ Fort Pierre Workforce Development Council will hold its second meeting next week.
The group will gather on Friday, Oct. 16 at 11:30 a.m. at the River Cities Public Transit Building in Pierre. At the meeting, councilmembers will finalize goals and then break into committees to consider educational opportunities, housing initiatives and workforce recruitment tactics.
More specifically, committees will consider:
• if additional education and training programs are needed in the area and the feasibility of making them available locally;
• if housing is a relocation and retention barrier, and if so, what can be done about it;
• if there are steps businesses and the community can take to recruit people to the area.
Once problems are clearly defined, council members will work to recommend solutions and finally develop implementation plans.
The Council met for the first time in late August and Pierre Mayor Laurie Gill says that she was very encouraged by the meeting.
“The group was very positive and very much interested in clearly identifying workforce barriers and potential solutions,” said Mayor Gill. “I think we have brought the right people together to find realistic approaches to combat our workforce concerns.”
The Workforce Development Council has about 30 members representing a cross-sector of government, quasi-government and private-industry stakeholders. The Workforce Development Council meetings are open to the public.
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