Preparing tomorrow's labor force

Nearly 1 million civilians are employed in Idaho, which has experienced historically low unemployment in recent months and years.

The Idaho Department of Labor reported the unemployment rate to be 3.3% in December 2023, lower than the national average of 3.7% as of January 2024.

A large proponent of keeping those unemployment numbers low and ensuring Idahoans have the right jobs is the Idaho Workforce Development Council, a group of industry, state agency and advocacy group representatives appointed by Gov. Brad Little's office to keep their fingers on the pulse of the Gem State's labor force.

The role of the council is to guide and coordinate the governor and legislature’s initiatives in workforce development. Through the use of grants, apprenticeships and education, the council assures Idaho’s workforce is diverse and prepared to meet the needs of its residents, communities and employers.

"Creating an educated and diverse workforce is critical to the economic vitality of Idaho," said Idaho Workforce Development Council Vice Chair John Young, president and owner of Young Construction Group of Idaho, Inc., a Coeur d’Alene-based regional general contractor, construction manager and design build contractor.

Young said, as workforce demands increase and workforce qualifications adjust to address Idaho employers' needs, one of the council's goals is coordinating the resources available in Idaho to provide the most direct connections between the workforce, educational opportunities and employers. 

"I am privileged to part of the team that is working with our stakeholders, state agencies and industry to make this a reality," Young said.

The council's mission is to champion strategies that prepare Idahoans for careers that meet employers’ needs, with a vision of creating a future workforce that fills the needs of employers as well as communities.

Marie Price, director for training and development at the Idaho Forest Group, has served on the council for one year and is the chair of the council's work-based learning committee, on which she has served for six years.

"I’ve always been passionate about supporting individuals in their personal and professional development," Price said.

She said she enjoys working with students and introducing them to new career pathways.

"Find what works for you," Price said. "Find your passion, find the opportunities that move you where you want to be."

One workforce-building initiative with the full support of the council is Little's Idaho LAUNCH grant program. Through LAUNCH, high school seniors have the ability to apply for up to $8,000 to help pay for two years of training and schooling for in-demand careers such as nurses, truck drivers, construction workers and other mostly trades-related positions.

The adult version of LAUNCH is supported by the state, unemployment insurance funds and the Workforce Development Council for those 18 and older who are looking for career changes to apply for funding for that could pay for up to 80% of short-term training expenses, up to $5,000. LAUNCH funding is a once-in-a-lifetime benefit for Idaho workers, regardless of their financial situations.

While funding for training and development is a priority, the Workforce Development Council is also tackling child care expansion.

"Working families often have trouble finding child care," Price said. "That can be a barrier to working."

Child care is one of the most critical work supports for parents, she said.

"One of the factors that we found in terms of labor force participation was that lack of child care options, especially in rural areas, was a big challenge," Price said.

She said during a recent assessment, it was found that 74,000 children in Idaho needed child care, but only 55,000 child care slots were available. The Workforce Development Council is working to expand the number of seats so working parents can afford to work and have their children cared for during the day.

The council has awarded $2.6 million in child care grants throughout Idaho for entities increasing day care seats available to working families. In North Idaho, Kaniksu Health and Storybook Adventure were recipients of these grants. More grants are expected to be announced soon.

Bill Reagan, president of The Coeur d'Alene Resort, represents industry in Region 1 on the council. As The Resort is one of the larger employers in Kootenai County and a significant employer in the state, he said it is critical to have a seat at the table when it comes to discussing the development and support of Idaho’s workforce.

The council funds a position at the Coeur d'Alene Economic Development Corp. for talent pipeline management, Reagan said. It partners with North Idaho College to provide a number of vocational offerings including $555,000 for the dental hygiene curriculum. It funds $55,000 for career technical education and workforce training outreach and $524,000 for heavy equipment operator training. Through the University of Idaho, the council provided $708,000 for forest products job training.

The council also has a number of statewide projects that will increase STEM opportunities in North Idaho, including: a University of Idaho Extension grant; the Out of School Network for Think, Make, Create trailers; teacher training through the STEM Action Center; the University of Idaho, indigenous teacher training; and Semiconductor for All, a value-based health care program for rural clinics and more.

"We want to be sure a kid growing up in Idaho has all the resources necessary to pursue the career of their dreams," Reagan said. "We also want to assure employers all the tools are in place to maintain a consistent supply of trained workers to support their growth."

Info: wdc.idaho.gov

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