Christopher Smith was ready for a better-paying job in the trades. Thomas Sanders was ready for a job in information technology. Neither had a four-year college degree—yet both were able to achieve their goals, in part thanks to local workforce development programs.
Sanders had attended college but dropped out. He was working in a fast food restaurant when a friend told him about NPower Missouri, which provides free technology training and development to veterans and job-seekers from underserved communities.
“I earned a certificate in information technology and had an internship
with World Wide Technology before being hired full time,” says Sanders, who’s now a service desk analyst with World Wide Technology’s North American Integration Center, in Edwardsville. “They set me up to succeed.”
Similarly, St. Louis–based LaunchCode offers a program to introduce basic coding concepts. Created by Square co-founder Jim McKelvey, the nationally lauded program provides free tech education and job-placement opportunities to bring people from all backgrounds into the tech field and reshape how employers think about hiring. The nonprofit says 86 percent of participants begin their careers without a degree in computer science.
For Smith, who had experience as a plumber, the Urban League’s Save Our Sons program provided a key opportunity. The program is focused on helping economically disadvantaged men obtain the training and preparation for success in full-time jobs that pay living wages and provide benefits. About 1,000 men have graduated from the program over the past five years. “The guys in my class were of all ages,” recalls Smith, who’s now a journeyman plumber. “A common denominator was that we were all focused on achieving full-time employment.”
The region’s skilled jobs market is wide open, says Regional Business Council president and CEO Kathy Osborn, yet employers often say they can’t find enough skilled candidates to fill openings. Enter STL.works, an initiative that the St. Louis Regional Business Council and Civic Pride Foundation launched in 2019. The online resource is a one-stop shop in that offers assessments for gauging career interests in the areas of technology, trades, manufacturing, and health care. It includes local resources and contact information for opportunities in post-secondary training, apprenticeships, and associate’s degrees.
For years, experts have warned of a shortage of skilled workers as baby boomers retire and more emphasis is placed on college degrees. “Education is critical; college is not,” writes Quintessential Careers founder Randall S. Hansen. “There are numerous careers—in health care, technology, operations, transportation, and the building trades—that do not require a four-year degree.”
At the same time, some of those occupations are providing more flexibility during the pandemic. “The vast majority of our positions have been remote since March [2020] and will remain remote into the foreseeable future,” says Alaina Macia, president/CEO of Medical Transportation Management and chair of the Regional Business Council’s Skilled Workforce Committee. With most employees working remotely, the company has expanded its search to find candidates who might not have previously applied because of the potential for long commutes.
“We’ve also moved to 100 percent virtual interviewing,” adds Macia, noting a timely trend, “to protect the health of our employees and candidates.”
1,477,000
msa labor force, 2019
$173 billion
total gross domestic product, 2019
3.3%
st. louis’ unemployment rate, 2019
3.9%
u.s. Unemployment rate, 2019
90,800
Stem Occupations, 6.6% Of Total (Higher Than 6.4% In U.s., 2019)
