Phil Castle, The Business Times

Candace Carnahan knows what worries business owners and managers. As president and chief executive officer of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, her responsibilities include identifying and addressing problems.

On the most pressing problems? Finding and retaining talent, Carnahan says.

Lindsay Bullock, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction, agrees.

That’s why workforce development remains a priority for the chamber as well as the center.

The chamber has received two
grants to promote work-based learning and help youth find their career paths.
The center also offers a variety of assistance, including reimbursement for wages paid for on-the-job training and internships.

The Grand Valley enjoys still another advantage, Carnahan says, with its culture of collaboration among the organizations involved in workforce and economic development. “We are ahead of the curve.”

Workforce development is important, Carnahan says, because it affects nearly every business in every sector. The effects extend to other parts of the community when businesses can’t maintain enough staffing to provide services.

Workforce development also plays a role in economic development, she says, because new, relocating and expanding businesses all depend on employees.

It remains a challenge to find and retain that talent, she says. “It’s the No. 1 thing that keeps our businesses up at night.”

Bullock says workforce development is important because individuals need jobs to earn wages and support themselves and their families. Businesses need employees to provide goods and services.

Businesses need employees with basic skills, but also employees who can learn additional skills and take on more responsibilities, she says. For the manufacturing, medical and other sectors, highly specialized skills could be required.

The Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce has received two grants to help fund workforce development efforts.

The chamber was one of five intermediaries in Colorado — the only one west of Denver — selected to disperse $230,000 to employers for work-based learning programs.

David Proctor, workforce development manager at the chamber, said $100,000 already has been dispersed through the West Slope Works program.

The program offers three levels of reimbursement that correspond to varying work-based learning activities:

Up to $2,500 for such learning about work efforts as career counseling, work site tours and job shadowing.

Up to $6,500 for such  learning through work efforts as internships, clinical experiences and industry sponsored projects.

Up to $10,000 for such learning at work efforts as apprenticeships, on-the-job training and employee development.

Businesses submit applications and work with Proctor to develop budgets, calculate monthly reimbursements and list guidelines for the efforts.

Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until they run out. But Carnahan expects additional funding will be available.

The chamber also received a nearly $50,000 grant through the Opportunity Now Colorado program. The chamber will use the funding to promote its Find Your Future program and efforts to connect students and young adults with jobs and work-based learning opportunities as well as help them explore career options.

Carnahan says it important to start that process as soon as possible — in middle school, rather than waiting until high school students near graduation.

The Mesa County Workforce Center offers a variety of services for people looking for jobs and businesses looking for employees, Bullock says.

That includes assistance with job searches, completing resumes and preparing for interviews.

For businesses looking for employees, Bullock says the center posts job openings and hosts hiring events. The center also can help write job descriptions and screen applicants. Financial assistance is available to businesses for internships and on-the-job training.

Carnahan and Bullock agree collaboration among local chambers of commerce, the workforce center, Colorado Mesa University, Mesa County School District 51 and other organizations promotes workforce development.

Carnahan was selected to participate in a national workforce development program and recently returned from a meeting in Washington. D.C. She says she discovered in talking with program participants that Mesa County is unique with a collaborative culture that’s put it ahead of other areas. “That work should be applauded,” she says.

For more information about resources available from the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, visit the website at https://gjchamber.org. For more information about services and resources available from the Mesa County Workforce Center, log on to https://mcwfc.us.