Washington Business Summer 2017 | Washington Business | Page 38

business backgrounder | education & workforce

Building a Skilled Workforce

Manufacturers and school districts work together to give students a pathway to success .
Gordon Oliver
In Clark County , manufacturers and school districts are taking the long view as they work to give young people the skills they need to succeed in the modern workforce .
At A Glance
In Southwest Washington , manufacturers and school districts are working together to address worker shortages by introducing students to manufacturing .
The partnership helps students by giving them high school and college credit and it helps employers by helping them attract potential workers .
“ I had never thought of it for myself , but I ’ m definitely thinking about it now .”
Emily Lovato was in familiar territory when she showed up June 15 for her first day of work at Columbia Machine , — Emily Lovato , 18 a Vancouver manufacturer of machinery used to create concrete products . She ’ d been there this spring as a high school intern , learning about manufacturing and realizing that this work could possibly be for her .
Lovato , 18 , was one of seven students from the Evergreen School District ’ s Legacy High School who ’ d completed an internship at Columbia Machine under a program gaining traction across Clark County . Now she had returned , flush with excitement , for a summer job and her first paycheck . She doesn ’ t have work plans beyond summer but says , “ I would like to have a job like this .”
As industry struggles statewide with worker shortages in a booming economy , manufacturers and school districts in Clark County are taking a long view on how to build a skilled workforce . Working with the Southwest Washington STEM Learning Network and Clark College , they ’ ve developed a program that introduces students like Lovato to manufacturing , while helping them gain soft skills to succeed in any workplace .
38 association of washington business