Building a Local Talent Pipeline: Chamber Sees Collaboration & Expansion in Workforce Development Pr

Building a Local Talent Pipeline: Chamber Sees Collaboration & Expansion in Workforce Development Programming

Over the past year, the Chamber has expanded its Workforce Development programs and partnerships initiatives. “Ensuring businesses can count on a pipeline of workers trained for local jobs & careers” is one of the organization’s strategic priorities, and we continue to work on expanding our educational partnerships and developing a strong regional talent pipeline to meet business and community needs. Below, we outline some of the new partnerships, programs and developments we’ve seen in our workforce development programming.

State of Education event provides updates, community input and networking

The 2024 State of Education Event included a program that provided valuable updates from the County Education Office and Allan Hancock College around how our community is preparing our students for the workforce. The event also included facilitated discussions with the audience to gather community feedback around workforce development challenges, and time for networking with our education partners showcasing workforce programs businesses could engage in.

“Our schools are working hard to prepare students for a wide range of careers and further educational endeavors,” explained Dr. Susan Salcido, Superintendent of Schools and one of the presenters at the State of Education. “Here in the Santa Maria Valley, we are grateful for partners like the Chamber that are engaging the local business community with our schools and creating meaningful opportunities for students. Together, we are investing in the future workforce of Santa Maria Valley. Our recent State of Education event is an excellent example of how we’re connecting with the community and showing how community members and businesses can get involved in workforce efforts.”

Chamber advocates for Allan Hancock College’s 4 year degree program

The Chamber has been a strong advocate of Allan Hancock College’s efforts to bring a 4-year degree program to their campus. Having more opportunities locally for our youth to get a higher level education means our business community will have a stronger pool of applicants for local jobs.
“Hancock has applied to offer a Bachelor of Science Applied Professional Studies, a career technical program that prepare graduates for a variety of entry-level positions in areas such as sales, office management, logistics, and human resources,” explained Job Hooten, Executive Director for College Advancement at Allan Hancock College “This is a critical step for local students who want to continue their education but who cannot move away for college.  It is also an important part of the local economic landscape to provide local business and industry with that next generation of professionals. When it was time to demonstrate community support for our application, the Chamber was our first call to help gather dozens of letters of support from business leaders attesting to the need and value of bachelor’s-level education in the Santa Maria Valley.”

Teacher Tours program expands reach through new partnerships
The Chamber continues its partnership with the Santa Barbara County Education Office’s (SBCEO) Career Technical Education (CTE) Program on its CTE Industry Teacher Tours program. Once a month, CTE teachers spend a day connecting with businesses in the career pathway they teach to learn more about local jobs available and skills students would need to be successful. The program is in its second year and has expanded to include teachers from Allan Hancock College and the Center for Employment Training.

“SBCEO's collaboration with the Santa Maria Valley Chamber has proven highly beneficial for local CTE teachers. The CTE Teacher Industry Tours program not only offers CTE teachers a chance to stay informed about the latest industry practices but also empowers them to incorporate newfound knowledge into their classroom instruction,” explained Sarah Cameron,  the Director for Career Technical Education for the Santa Barbara County Education Office. “The success of the program is evident in its expansion, now including partnerships with higher education. As we further enhance and align our Santa Maria Valley K-14+ career pathways, we are actively preparing our future local workforce.”

Additional information on the Teaher Tours program can be found at https://www.santamaria.com/education-workforce/teacher-tours/