Richard: Workforce must be trained

In his latest report. Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin talks about the Joplin Habitat Challenge and his Missouri Works Training Program bill.

The governor recently announced the 2012 Joplin Habitat Challenge. The project is a collaboration between the state of Missouri, the Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity and major sports teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals, the St. Louis Rams, the St. Louis Blues, the Kansas Speedway in partnership with NASCAR and the University of Missouri, to build 35 homes in Joplin in 2012.

As I’ve spoken about in the past, Joplin, which was devastated by an EF-5 tornado in May 2011, is continuing to rebuild. More than 7,000 homes were destroyed, however, and there remain countless families without permanent housing.

The Joplin Habitat Challenge will use a $3.6 million Community Development Block Grant to purchase supplies and hire coordinators for the project. Volunteers, including sports celebrities from the participating teams, will lend their time and effort to construct the 35 homes.

I’ve been consistently overwhelmed by the level of compassion and selflessness exhibited through efforts to help Joplin recover. There are many people who still lack that most basic of needs, a place to call home. It’s thanks to programs like this one, and many others, that those people can truly start to rebuild their lives.

To find more information on the project or to volunteer, visit www.mo.gov.

Senate Bill 734, which I sponsored, has been referred to the Senate Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee for consideration. The bill would establish the Missouri Works Training Program by combining three existing job programs. It would provide financial assistance for training in new jobs created by qualifying companies. The financial assistance would also be available to business and technology centers created by Missouri community colleges and state technical colleges to provide training in growth industries.

Job creation is one of our highest priorities in the General Assembly. Despite evidence the economy is beginning to recover, there are still thousands of Missourians out of work. As we seek to encourage job creation, however, we must also ensure our state has a workforce trained to perform those jobs. Senate Bill 734 would help companies provide training to current employees and recent hires. It would also help citizens receive training through community and technical colleges, wonderful institutions that give students real-world skills immediately applicable to a career.

Our economy is rapidly changing, with more and more jobs in innovative and high-tech industries. It is important we provide citizens with every opportunity to secure these lucrative careers, and job training is a key part of that effort.