Educators, Employers Meet to Bridge Workforce Gap

The Bay Area Council’s Workforce of the Future Committee, in partnership with the Bay Area Community College Consortium, hosted its first marketplace working session on October 14 at member company Recology. The working session brought together employers from utilities, infrastructure, and manufacturing industries with community college educators and leaders to look at curriculum and define the industry role in the education of future maintenance technician/ mechanic workers.

Participants from such organizations as BART, San Francisco International Airport, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission discussed with community college representatives the reasons for a growing gap between workforce demand and supply in the Bay Area. Kit O’Doherty of the Bay Area Community College Consortium and Mark Martin led the conversation on curriculum, pathways to jobs, and impending future needs for the industrial maintenance technician/ mechanic occupation. The working session came at a critical time for many employers of the utilities, infrastructure, and manufacturing industries, as many reported that nearly 40 percent of their workforce in this particular skills area is ready to retire any day. Attendees committed to reconvening in February 2017 to review community college curriculum and potentially devise certification or pathway opportunities into open positions.

Our thanks to Recology for hosting the meeting. To engage in the Council’s Workforce of the Future efforts, and for more information on how to participate in marketplace sessions for your industry, please contact Senior Vice President, Linda Bidrossian.