BizWORKFORCE
Amber Smith
Ian Roark
Cristie Street
Michael Guymon
Blueprint for Prosperity Tucson Metro Chamber Issues Plan to Develop Workforce, Fight Poverty By Loni Nannini An effort to provide the talented workforce that local employers need while lifting people out of poverty has led to a template for Tucson’s prosperity. The Tucson Metro Chamber created the Workforce Development Blueprint in conjunction with private and public partners, nonprofit organizations and government. The blueprint’s five strategies highlight short- and long-term initiatives in education, industry and community leadership for employers and employees, according to Amber Smith, president and CEO of the Tucson Metro Chamber. “Our goals with these Workforce Development Strategies are: one, to grow the talent employers seek to enable them to fill positions for companies in the community now and in the future, and two, to provide a stronger skill set for those lacking skills who are living in poverty – ultimately resulting in a healthier community,” said Smith. The plan, which relies on data collected over the last 18 months by the Partnership for Workforce Innovation, was developed with support from Chamber membership, along with partners and sponsors including Tucson Medical Center, Pima Association of Governments, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, City of Tucson and Pima County. The effort marks collaboration by 104 BizTucson
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Fall 2021
numerous local and regional businesses, educational institutions and community leaders to ensure that Tucson remains competitive in the rapidly changing labor market. “The topic of workforce development is very complex,” said Ian Roark, Pima Community College’s VP of workforce development and strategic partnerships. “It is an ecosystem of ecosystems, and the Tucson Metro Chamber plays an important role of being a convener and
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The more we can do as a community to make sure we are growing and attracting the skills our community needs, the more we will succeed.
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– Michael Guymon VP Tucson Metro Chamber
aggregator of industry for businesses of all sizes in our region. This blueprint allows us to focus on key workforce development initiatives – many of which are underway and some of which are new
– as we enter into a time of re-skilling and recovery post-pandemic.” Roark emphasized the need for innovation as the Chamber seeks to execute the plan during the next three to five years. “Oftentimes the programs and solutions implemented in the past to address workforce development aren’t the ones that will work now,” he said. “We are seeing that play out in the paradox of the vast number of jobs posted and the vast numbers of people who are not employed and the difficulty in connecting the right people to the right jobs.” Strategy 1
Employers, educators and business organizations in the greater Tucson region should consistently support innovative education/industry partnerships, including a system of high-quality career and technical education aligned to the needs of the business community. The skills developed through universities, community colleges and training providers should match the skills needed by our companies. The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Pima Community College and Carrington College, along with small colleges, trade schools and education partners play key roles here. They answer the call for innovative and flexible training programs that include information technology and continued on page 106 >>> www.BizTucson.com
