Keith Lawing kicked off the Wichita Business Journal's Talent Summit on Tuesday by pointing out the disparity between available jobs in the Wichita-area workforce and the people wanting to fill them.
"Anybody can find a job these days," said Lawing, the president and CEO of the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas. "How do we help somebody find a good job? A good job with benefits?
"Most of those require some level of skills development. That's what this ecosystem is all about."
Lawing, whose organization administers federal workforce grants in partnering with employers and job seekers, noted the number of jobs available in the Wichita area increased from 2018 to 2023. But at the same time, the number of adults volunteering to be part of the labor force declined.
"The education attainment for both bachelor's degrees and associate's degrees is below the national average and not every job we're talking about requires one of those two degrees," Lawing said. "But that is indicative about the sate of the workforce that we have, that our talent pool is not as robust or as large as it need to be."
The Workforce Alliance garners roughly $2 million to $3 million in federal resources annually. Though the organization works with job seekers to find the right role, Lawing thinks of employers as primary customers because they are determining the skills needed to work for their companies.
"We are employer-led, demand driven and sector focused," Lawing said.
Lawing said the Workforce Alliance concentrates on filling the employment ecosystem, and that training is a key to generating greater long-term success.
"You can help somebody's life if you can help them out of that $11 and $12 an hour job," Lawing said, "and get them in the $19, $20, $25 an hour job."