Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas President/CEO Keith Lawing discussed current employment challenges and potential strategies while talking with Derby Chamber of Commerce members Oct. 10.
KELLY BRECKUNITY/INFORMER
A key issue for its members, employment took center stage at the latest luncheon hosted by the Derby Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 10, as Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas President/CEO Keith Lawing spoke to challenges being seen in Sedgwick County and regionally.
To start, Lawing outlined some of the services Workforce Alliance offers to potential employees and employers alike, like interview prep for job seekers and training cost assistance for the businesses looking to hire.
Quickly, though, Lawing’s presentation turned to the challenges in job growth the region is currently experiencing. Coming to the Derby Welcome Center for the chamber luncheon from Wichita State University’s economic outlook conference, Lawing had some poignant and pressing information to share – which did not necessarily come as a surprise.
“One of the things that lines up with the comments that I was going to make, that we heard, is one of the challenges for our economy is there’s just not enough people. This is not a new thing,” Lawing said. “We’ve got a lot more job demand than we have supply right now.”
Recalling issues heard from Cessna two decades ago about a lack of applicants, Lawing noted those challenges continue to ebb and flow, while the other major challenge he pointed out is a skills gap issue.
Due to the technical nature of some of the major regional industries (aviation, health care, etc.), there are certain credentials and requirements that create barriers for potential applicants, according to Lawing.
In addressing the employment challenges, Lawing noted both Workforce Alliance and other businesses in the region need to be deliberate and intentional.
While the employee pool and skills stand out as major issues, Lawing said some other hurdles exist that are creating some employment challenges – like access to child care and transportation.
“How many careers have we interrupted,” Lawing asked, “because of the child care situation?
As more females continue to enter the work force (with 56% participation currently), child care needs continue to grow. Workforce Alliance offers some resources to assist, like helping pay for child care costs, while the organization also began a policy in 2007 allowing workers to come back early from paternity leave and bring their baby to the office.
Other avenues also continue to be explored – such as a growing number of businesses offering paternity leave to males – as the business community is thinking more about this specific challenge. Lawing said the child care situation currently, though, is a “disincentive” for people to start families and a lot more has to be done to address it.
“The child care issue is not going to get changed by the little bit we’ve been doing because it is such a sticky wicket issue and it affects every income level and every type of economic driver we have in the community,” Lawing said. “The fact that we don’t have a better system for child care is impacting our ability to grow our economy.”
Public transportation is another limiting factor to job growth that Lawing pointed out in his presentation, noting Wichita Transit currently only serves the city of Wichita – not the larger metropolitan area.
Given many of the metro’s largest employers are outside city limits, that has created a very specific challenge.
“We see job applicants all the time who would take a job at Amazon if they could get there,” Lawing said. “A metro area like Wichita needs a better public transit system. If you can’t get workers to where that company needs, then they are not going to even come to Wichita, so we’re missing probably a whole lot of opportunities.”
Currently, Lawing said the Wichita Metropolitan Area Planning Organization is in the midst of a regional transit study to help improve the situation.
Other issues such as strikes (like the one currently ongoing at Textron) create more uncertainty but Lawing noted Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas and other regional partners are striving to offer resources to help meet the growing needs in the metro and maintain a positive economic forecast.
Kelly Breckunitch is the managing editor for the Derby Informer. Contact him at kelly@derbyinformer.com for questions and news tips.
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