Local businesses are working with educators at meetings of the Workforce Development Board (WDB) industry sector committees to find solutions to workforce issues that are affecting their businesses. For example:

• Hospital members of the WDB Healthcare Committee usually are competitors in the business world, but they share a common challenge-a growing shortage of clinical lab scientists to analyze blood and tissue samples for patients. Working together, the hospitals are building local capacity to provide the lab field experiences needed by post-graduate students from California State University, Channel Islands.
• Opportunities for good jobs in the water and wastewater industry are growing. However, employers in Ventura County cannot find enough workers to fill open positions. Members of the WDB Clean/Green Committee are participating in a regional survey to learn more about employer job requirements to help identify local training gaps and raise career awareness.
• Manufacturing offers the highest average pay in Ventura County, but businesses still struggle to find qualified workers-even at the entry level. Members of the WDB Manufacturing Committee have developed a list of manufacturing readiness skills and are providing feedback to educators in support of career pathway and curriculum development.

In each of these examples, businesses are working with other businesses to find solutions to workforce issues that would not have been possible otherwise. Thank you to our committee volunteers for going beyond their specific interests and working together for the benefit of Ventura County industry sectors as a whole. Employers are encouraged to participate in committee meetings. Check the WDB website for the meeting calendar. 

No one is more aware that business leaders are busy and focused on the performance of their own companies than Mike Soules, immediate past WDB Chair and President and CEO of Corwin, a SAGE publishing company. Yet, Mike asserts that the success of one business has a ripple effect on others-and now is the time to build our collective strength by working with peers in the larger Ventura County region.

"For our local economy to grow and thrive, employers need to get involved in strengthening our regional workforce, "says Mike. "By doing so, we will benefit as individual businesses while contributing to the overall economic vitality of Ventura County."

Mike strongly recommends that business leaders participate in WDB sector committee discussions. To hear more of Mike's comments, listen to the July 1st Workforce Wednesday broadcast.

Each year, the WIB Awards recognize exceptional contributions made by members of the community to help build a strong Ventura County workforce. Congratulations to the 2015 recipients who have made a real difference by providing youth internships and work opportunities, developing collaborative programs to meet workforce needs, or supporting business expansion, job creation or job retention:

• Douglas Wood, General Manager at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach
• Ralph Imondi and Linda Santschi, co-founders and scientific directors at Coastal Marine Biolabs

• Tiffany Morse, Ph.D., Director of Career and Technical Education , Ventura County Office of Education
• Subhash Karkare, Ph.D., Biotechnology Professor at Moorpark College
• Bill Pratt, Vice-President of Operations at Kinamed, Inc. in Camarillo
• Scot Rabe, Manufacturing Technology Professor at Ventura College

• Tejas Patel, President of Laksh, Inc./Aishu, Inc. in Camarillo

• Manuel Vega, CEO of Anacapa Water Blasting, Inc. in Oxnard