Our April 25 program was Erin Monroe, CPA, of Workforce Snohomish.  Workforce Snohomish is one of twelve Workforce Development Councils in the state.  The organization has a board of 25 members.  They help people find jobs and help employers find people. There are a lot of unique barriers in the workforce system (skilled help, childcare, older workers retiring, etc.).

 

Workforce Snohomish oversees the WorkSource Centers a.k.a. American Job Centers.  There are connection sites at colleges, libraries, Tribes to help provide some services offsite.  They partner with over 75 other organizations.  Workforce provides free services for employers and participants.  They operate off of federal and private funding.  WorkForce Snohomish provides rapid response when an employer shuts their doors to assist the employees learn about options. 

 

Snohomish County has a 4% unemployment rate vs. Washington state’s rate of 5.3%. 

 

WorkForce Snohomish provides wrap around services to help people become employed and off of unemployment benefits.  Snohomish County job growth is at 1.1% annually and expected to go up due to Paine Field opening up.  Professional services, construction services, and tourism is expected to increase.  There are a lot of government employers in Snohomish County.

 

Only 2% of middle skill jobs lost in recession were recreated in 2012.  There is a rise of crowd platforms and artificial intelligence.  3D printing is growing.  Education is not enough anymore.  Consumers are spending more on health and wellness. 

 

The gig economy is growing (Uber drivers, entrepreneurs, etc.).  In 8 months over ½ of the workforce will be millennials.  Huge need for cyber security and IT support.  Technology is huge.  WorkForce must stay on top of trends to work with colleges to utilize funding in the appropriate places.  Many professionals are being digitalized.

 

WorkForce Snohomish’s budget is $8-$10 million annually.  Snohomish County has a great partnership and collaboration agenda.  WorkForce Snohomish has 12 navigators on staff that work directly with the employer and the worker.  They also provide on the job training and on site assistance. 

 

WorkSource Everett has a veterans center and youth center.   WorkSource Everett and Lynnwood have classrooms for seminars, a business solutions team, temp agencies, etc. 

WorkForce has funding to help youth, adult with barriers, displaced workers, rapid response, and incumbent worker training to assist with increasing skills of current workers and backfilling their previous positions.  WorkForce has funding to help families affected by the opioid crisis. 

 

WorkForce Snohomish holds a career fair for the high school students each year.  It is held at the Arlington Airport.  It is hands on and the students have to keep a time sheet. 

 

Think about offering an internship or mentorship for students.  A lot of interns end up staying on with the organization.  WorkForce is working with cities, colleges, government agencies, and non-profits on the Future Work Force Alliance to talk about what to focus on and work on in a partnership to help meet job seekers’ needs.

 

If your company can become involved please attend WorkForce’s events, assist with transitional jobs, work on the advisory committee, and call WorkForce for job fair assistance/more information. 

 

Click HERE for more on Workforce Snohomish.