Building a Better Work Force – Idaho Business leaders push for professional, technical training

Business leaders want action from Idaho’s professional-technical educators to produce a stronger work force in the area.

Mike Rush, administrator for the Idaho Division of Professional Technical Education, hopes recent changes, such as cluster training and a need-based approach to new programs, will help.

By DAVID BUFORD
Staff writer CDA Press

"Our students are going to face some of the most competitive economic international climates that have ever been faced in the history of the world," he said to about 30 business and school leaders at North Idaho College Wednesday.

The presentation was part of a professional-technical education conference in Coeur d’Alene that ends today.

He said secondary, post-secondary and specific education programs, such as Riverbend in Post Falls and the Center for New Directions at NIC, have experienced increases in enrollment. At the same time, sparse funding due to a shaky economy has hurt progress in other areas.

The programs remain an important part of the economy because of the correlation between higher education and lower unemployment, Rush said.

"The economy is such that a lot of people want training to get back into the work force," he said. "But if they can’t get back into the work force, we can’t have the economic spurt to the community."

Claudia Brennan, owner of Unique Printing in Coeur d’Alene, said she often has difficulty finding well-trained people here.

"I don’t want to hear any more rhetoric — I want to see something happen," she said.

Rush said higher enrollment in professional-technical areas is a good sign. Many students receive industry certifications in addition to class credit, but the programs still have "a long ways to go."

David Minerath, president of Quest Integration, a small engineering software business in Post Falls, said the area may be losing workers to higher wages elsewhere. To prevent this, his company approached schools four years ago to bridge the efforts through work study.

"I don’t want to see Seattle and California and Portland getting our talent," he said. "It needs to be here but we can’t compete with the dollars and to say that we can drive businesses here to do that is unrealistic."

Minerath said students are easier to train and more committed to jobs they’ve been exposed to.

"I think it’s up to the businesses to drive this," he said. "I don’t know if the schools know how to do it and I don’t know that the businesses know how to do it, but I think people just need to do it and get messy and see what works."

David Buford can be reached at 664-8176, ext. 4501, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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