Good afternoon,
I was honored to be part of a panel discussion at the recent League of Arizona Cities and Towns Annual Conference, which focused on whether Arizona’s workforce development pipeline was robust enough to support the phenomenal growth the state has experienced.
Representing a rural region, my perspective was slightly different.
Northern Arizona already produces a tremendous amount of highly educated talent; nearly 56% of Flagstaff residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The challenge is keeping that talent here.
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We need to be more intentional in ensuring that education, workforce and economic development operate as one system rather than separate institutions. We can train someone in advanced manufacturing, bioscience, health care, or technology in northern Arizona, but if the next step to a career requires moving to Phoenix, we haven’t solved the problem for our region.
We need to simultaneously develop our workforce and grow the employers and industries that can hire that workforce.
What would a “learn here, work here, build a career here” approach look like? It starts by providing students with exposure to northern Arizona employers before they graduate, through internships, apprenticeships, applied research, mentorship, and/or work-based learning. Employers need to be at the table helping design those programs and offering competitive career pathways. Ultimately, success would mean that a student growing up in Winslow, Camp Verde, Sedona, or Flagstaff should not have to choose between pursuing a great career and staying close to home.
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This month, we also strengthened our region’s international opportunities by hosting the Global Ties Desert Technologies delegation with representatives from the Middle East and North Africa.
As part of the U.S. Department of State’s professional objectives for the delegation, we highlighted Coconino County’s leadership in forest restoration, various economic development initiatives underway in Flagstaff and Winslow, and the cutting-edge research taking place at Northern Arizona University.
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The delegation also heard from local businesses Carbon Utility and HeetShield, and learned about opportunities for emerging technologies and investment across the region, including at the Northern Arizona Technology Park.
It was a great opportunity to demonstrate how our region brings together government, industry, research, and economic development to support innovation and create opportunities for future collaboration.
We are grateful for your continued support as we work to build a Northern Arizona where talent, opportunity, and investment grow together.
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