St. Charles County unemployment stats flatten
Compared to last year, the St. Charles County Workforce Development Center has seen its doors open twice as often this year.
“Of the 7,000 individuals a month that come in our door, 6,000 of them are looking to go back to work right now,” said Workforce Development Director Don Holt.
To respond to a county-wide unemployment rate of 8.4 percent, up from 8.3 percent earlier in the year, Holt said a second center is open at 400 N. Second St. in St. Charles, “right behind the courthouse.” The main office is at 212 Turner Blvd., St. Peters.
But there’s good news. The numbers of newly unemployed aren’t increasing in St. Charles County.
“It’s flattened out,” Holt said. “Things are still tough out there but the April (unemployment) numbers were better than March and now, in May, the movement is holding steady, flat, not down but not up either.”
Still, it is an expensive proposition to deal with high numbers of job seekers. But help is on the way.
On May 14, Gov. Jay Nixon signed a House of Representatives sponsored bill into law that will provide a supplemental appropriation through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or the federal stimulus bill, to aid key employment and job training programs for low-income youth and displaced workers, according to Sam Murphey of the governor’s public information office.
The $30.9 million appropriation will fund Nixon’s Next Generation Jobs Team, a summer employment program that will connect Missouri youth with internships and work experiences at high-tech, cutting-edge businesses beginning this month.
“To transform our economy for the 21st century, we must have a trained and educated workforce that possesses the knowledge and abilities required for tomorrow’s jobs,” Nixon said. “By connecting thousands of young Missourians with work experiences at our state’s leading companies, we’ll help them develop these vital skills and they’ll receive a leg up on the competition during these difficult economic times.”
Holt already has a similar St. Charles County program underway. For those entering the workforce after graduation, Workforce Development has structured a local entrance into the state’s Summer Youth Future Corps program, training and placing 14- to 24-year-olds for the summer jobs, Holt said.
To date, Holt said some 130 students have qualified for the program and his staff was in the process “of matching kids to work sites. We have 150 to 160 different placement possibilities. Those summer jobs range from municipal parks departments to local IT companies offering summer internships to college students seeking a computer science degree.”
Stimulus funds are helping pay for the staff and facilities expansion with more than $1.5 million from the federal stimulus bill.
With such large numbers of job seekers, Holt said there has been increasing numbers of people utilizing the services of Workforce Development’s training programs for resume writing and interviewing – all the skills necessary for seeking a job in today’s market. Some are finding their job skills are a bit out of date however.
“The numbers of those seeking retraining are increasing,” Holt said. While the criteria is challenging, those who qualify can take advantage of tuition assistance. “This is for someone ready to go into nursing or IT,” Holt said. The department makes direct tuition payments to a certified training provider for an individual seeking a career in a field with a future. “There’s some strict program eligibility” requirements, he added.
Holt said careers of the future will very much be guided by an individual’s career as a student. If speaking to a high school student today, Holt said he would say, “Take your science and math classes and be serious about them.”
On the other side of the equation, Holt said he works closely with the Economic Development Center (EDC). One of the topics discussed most of late is how to translate a workforce of skilled automotive manufacturing workers into a new career.
Green jobs could hold the answer, he said. If a wind turbine factory needs skilled workers, it isn’t a huge stretch to accommodate the need with some updated training of laid off auto workers.
For information about all programs administered by Workforce Development, phone 278-1360 or see the Web site at stcharlesworks.com.
For information about the governor’s Next Generation Jobs Team see the state government Web site at: mo.gov.
