Danville/Boyle County Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development Committee strives to improve labor force

By STEVE RINEHART
Chairman, Danville/Boyle County Chamber of Commerce, Workforce Development Committee

April 6, 2010

There is a problem in Danville-Boyle County: The community, and region, is losing jobs faster than they are being replaced. The recurring question is, “Why?” The answers may be as varied and unique as the businesses that have moved or closed, but the question is still a valid one.

A problem-solving tool often used in business is the cause-and-effect diagram. A problem or “effect” is stated on the right side of the chart and all of the major influences or “causes” are listed on the left. The causes nearly always fall into four categories:

** Machines (hardware and technology)

** Methods (business practices, laws, regulations, etc.)

** Materials (raw materials, utility costs, buildings, land/space)

** People (skills, education, work ethic/motivation)

In theory, all of the cause categories are equal in importance. However, many of the influences in the other categories are related to people.

The Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Development Committee was created to identify the factors that enable and inhibit an adequately skilled labor force to support economic growth in Danville and Boyle County, and to identify strategies to address those factors.

One of the committee’s earliest discoveries was a widespread perception there is a disconnect between education and business, between what students learn in school and the skills needed for success in the workplace. As a result, much of the Workforce Development Committee’s efforts to-date has been focused on eliminating that disconnect.

The first initiative was the creation of a Business-Education Exchange, in which educators and business leaders were given the opportunity to spend time in each other’s worlds and gain a better understanding of the challenges the other group faces each day — and improve communication among educators and businesses. The exchange was repeated each fall in 2007 to 2009.

A second initiative was the Teacher Academy, in which middle and high school teachers spend extended time inside various businesses to learn about and observe the career and job opportunities that exist, the skills required in those jobs, and specific examples of the application of academic subjects like math and language skills in the workplace. The academy has been repeated each spring in 2008 and 2009 — and is being planned for June 2010.

The most recent result of the exchange and academy programs was an initiative by counselors and faculty at Boyle County High School to develop a “Work Ethic Seal” program to be implemented for junior and senior students in fall 2010. Similar programs have been adopted by other school systems in Kentucky and other states.

In order to qualify for the addition of a seal on their diploma, seniors must meet GPA and attendance requirements, and demonstrate organizational, teamwork/collaboration, character, success, and communications skills in the classroom, extracurricular activities and community involvement. The presence of the seal will indicate to prospective employers that an individual possesses the “soft skills” that are critical for success in the workplace, whether immediately after high school or following completion of post-secondary education.

For more information, or to get involved in the workforce development efforts, contact the Chamber of Commerce office at (859) 236-2361 or info@danvilleboylechamber.com.