by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Jake Schickel’s first year leading the board at WorkSource witnessed jobs and wages on the rise for the regional work force development agency’s clients, while costs and welfare recidivism shrank.
Halfway through his two-year term as chairman of the 33-member board, Schickel, a partner at the law firm of Coker, Myers, Schickel, Sorenson, Higginbotham and Green, looks to build on last year’s success. To make that happen, Schickel and the WorkSource staff want to continue to improve communication and cooperation among Jacksonville’s economic developers and its workforce advocates.
Jacksonville’s focus on both sides of the labor market is unique, said Candace Moody, vice president of marketing and communications for WorkSource. City entities focused on creating jobs work with workforce consultants to understand what kind of jobs would be most attracted to the labor market.
“This is truly one of the top workforce development programs in the State,” said Schickel. “They’ve really picked up on the concept that economic development goes hand-in-hand with workforce development.”
For instance, WorkSource was called in when Mayor John Peyton ordered a complete overhaul of the Jacksonville. Economic Development Commission,. But the agency’s job wasn’t just to comb through resumes.
In addition to sifting through more than a thousand resumes for 38 positions, Moody worked with the JEDC to evaluate Jacksonville’s job market.
She advised them on which jobs the City should be trying to attract with incentive dollars: finance, business services, medicine and manufacturing.
The cooperative approach is becoming more important as the dynamics of hiring change. It used to be that the workforce chased the companies. Now that tide is starting to turn. Increasingly, companies look to set up shop where skilled labor clusters.
Traditional incentives like tax breaks, low-interest loans and infrastructure development might help companies make their final decisions about where to locate. But a city without a skilled, well-educated workforce won’t even be considered, said Moody.
The reputation of Jacksonville’s workforce holds up well nationally, said Moody. Jacksonville is a younger city than South Florida retirement havens.
Jacksonville’s large military community is also a benefit. Ex-military employees entering the civilian job market are viewed as “highly motivated, dedicated, skilled and drug-free.” said Moody.
Schickel pointed to Fidelity National’s relocation to Riverside and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer’s move to Cecil Field as evidence of Jacksonville’s reputation. Moody agreed.
“If you look at the companies that have moved here and the situations where Jacksonville has made the short list, that tells you all you need to know about Jacksonville’s work force,” said Moody.
Still, Schickel sees room for improvement. Noting Jacksonville’s relatively low percentage of workers with college degrees, Schickel would like to work with area colleges to create transfer programs.
“You hear from a lot of people that they have two or three years of college, but there’s nothing they can do with it because they didn’t go to college locally,” he said.
In addition to helping with Embraer’s hiring, Moody said WorkSource would continue to emphasize on-the-job training for its clients.
WorkSource’s job is just beginning when its clients get hired, said Moody, and continued training makes clients more effective in their jobs and makes them more marketable for future job openings.
“Our goal isn’t to get someone a job,” said Moody. “Our job is to get them to economic self-sufficience. We want them to continue to upgrade their skills throughout their career.”