Greater Springfield Partnership’s Jobs & Job Readiness Taskforce Prepares for Next 5-Year Plan

The Jobs & Job Readiness Taskforce, part of the Greater Springfield Moving Forward initiative, is preparing to create a new five-year plan to guide the organization’s workforce development activities through 2028. The group has a long history of success, strategizing on workforce and economic development for over a decade. The group’s accomplishments include the creation of industry exploration videos and a workforce attraction marketing campaign, putting televisions in classrooms so students can watch the videos, the implementation of YouScience assessments, and a full-time Talent and Education Coordinator to work in the school system. 

 “We accomplished all of our goals over the past five years thanks to strong collaborations between business, education, and community leaders,” said Horton Hobbs IV, Vice President of Economic Development for the Partnership. “We have a strong leadership team in place that’s supported by Amy Donahoe, Director of Workforce Development, and Kaitlyn Tyler, the Talent and Education Coordinator for the Partnership, making us well positioned to amplify job and work readiness initiatives.” 

During a recent Brain Squeeze 2.0 session, Jennifer Sirucek, Chair of the Jobs & Job Readiness Taskforce, discussed what the group will focus on for the next five years. There were 50 active participants with representatives from the business, education, and government communities. While the plan is yet to be finalized, some of the priorities discussed during the meeting were:

#1 Make the YouScience Platform available to every student.

Clark County students are currently eligible to take the YouScience assessment in the 8th grade. Some schools have also started to offer the assessment in the 10th grade - something the taskforce hopes to roll out to all Clark County high schools in the 2023-2024 school year. “The assessment is a precursor to workforce exploration events and helps us to identify students with aptitudes for specific industries and career pathways,” said Donahoe. “Offering it in the 10th grade is strategic because that’s the time when students are beginning to look for work and seriously consider their future.”

Around 2,500 to 3,000 students complete the assessment each year. “The biggest challenge we have is having enough adult leaders to go through the results with them,” said Hobbs. “Walking through the findings and discussing opportunities is an important part of this process, as is helping students identify the next steps so they can fully participate in their career of choice. Kaitlyn is doing an excellent job of introducing students to business opportunities, but she’s only one person working across an entire county. By increasing the number of career counselors or talent professionals, more connections can be made between students and businesses. The industry impact could be significant.”

#2 Mentoring programs. 

Clark County has an incredible group of business leaders, many of which volunteer. The taskforce wants to create more opportunities for leaders to engage with schools through mentorship programs. “Mentoring programs do more than create awareness and opportunities. They build connections and relationships,” said Hobbs. “The more relationships we can develop between students and the business community, the more likely it will be that those students will build their careers and their lives in Clark County.”

#3 Increased engagement with schools and businesses.

The Partnership actively works to engage the business and education community by identifying what the challenges are and working to create solutions. Kaitlyn’s position as talent and Education Coordinator came as a result of those conversations. As the Director of Workforce Development, Amy Donahoe regularly meets with businesses to identify topline goals. Still, collaboration can always be deepened, and that’s a primary focus of the taskforce. 

Collaboration Fuels Long-Term Growth

“We’re really great at building relationships in Clark County. The work the taskforce is doing is impacting the lives of people in our community in a positive way,” said Hobbs. “That’s our secret sauce - we care, and we know that chasing the deal is not nearly as important as building foundations and relationships for sustainable community growth.” The Jobs & Job Readiness Taskforce is an important part of sustainable growth and has shown tremendous leadership. We invite all Partnership investors to participate in future brainstorming sessions and meetings.