Workforce & Education are Top-of-Mind at Your Chamber

by Jacob Hogan, Director of Public Policy & Chamber Foundation, Greater Waco Chamber

Ask any employer in the area, whether it is a small business in the heart of downtown Waco or a large, manufacturing company in one of our industrial parks, and they will all relay the same challenges in finding workers. A similar sentiment can be felt throughout the state of Texas and across our nation. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 11.5 million available jobs across American currently, and only 5.9 million Americans are considered unemployed. This means that even if every single unemployed American was hired, there would be a 5.6 million worker shortage across our nation. Even though Texas and the Greater Waco area perform much better in these metrics, it remains a challenge that we continually hear. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the labor challenges were already present but undoubtedly the pandemic assisted in exacerbating this issue over the past two years. It continues to reveal unique challenges that have no easy, quick fixes, but require a collaborative, multifaceted approach in addressing them.

As part of our public policy work at your Chamber, we are charged with tackling these issues by engaging and advocating to our local, state, and federal elected officials on behalf of Greater Waco businesses. The Greater Waco Chamber Public Policy Committee and its subcommittees gather to advocate for sound, business-focused policies that can help all industries compete and thrive at the highest levels. Historically, our Workforce Development Subcommittee and our Education Subcommittee have operated as separate entities. But recognizing the continual need for industry and education to be aligned in their work, these subcommittees have been streamlined to form the Workforce and Education Subcommittee.

The subcommittee’s mission is to recognize that young people are the future of our communities and workforce, and are an essential part of future economic growth. As such, this subcommittee works within the legislative realm to advocate for positions important to our workforce and educational systems. From Pre-K - 12 to higher education, the subcommittee desires to see that every person arrives at kindergarten school-ready, graduates high school future-ready, and completes higher education workforce-ready. Furthermore, the subcommittee strives to see that current workers are provided the tools to grow their skillset through upskilling to help build and strengthen a thriving city, state, and nation for future generations. They are specifically tasked with working to address the challenges presented by the worker shortage by bringing industry and education to the same table to form a cohesive message as we advocate to our elected leaders. McLennan Community College President and Workforce and Education Subcommittee Chair, Dr. Johnette McKown, stated when discussing the work of the subcommittee, “Our community is united in efforts to align industry and education to ensure that we have a prepared and skilled workforce available to support the success of industries which provide the lifeblood of our community. The Workforce and Education Subcommittee is focused in supporting policies on the state and federal level that will strengthen the Texas workforce across all sectors. This means an educated and trained diverse workforce but goes further to maintain an employee base with basic needs met such as childcare, transportation, and sustainable food and housing. This challenge includes affordable education and training and incentivizing industry partnerships. In McLennan County, we can absolutely do this.”

Dr. McKown is right. She recognizes it takes a different approach to meet the challenges of our day. It can be argued that no community is better positioned to rise to the challenge than our community. One of the most admirable and unique characteristics of our greater Waco community is the deep spirit of collaboration found within our institutions and our leaders. They recognize the best way forward is with a cohesive message and partnership that brings different perspectives of various industries to the same table. It is with that mission and mindset in place that we can effectively take on the challenges facing the workforce needs in our community.