As Vermont employers struggle to fill about 17,000 job openings, lawmakers have created a new agency in state government to improve workforce development efforts.
A bill passed by Democratic lawmakers earlier this year and later signed by Republican Governor Phil Scott would create a new Office of Human Resources Strategy and Development that will have at least two full-time staff members.
Vermont already has a long list of workforce development programs run by the state government, nonprofits and private companies, but Windsor County Democratic Sen. Alison Clarkson said no one has a comprehensive view of how those programs interact or whether they actually work.
“We desperately need a workforce development ambassador — a person with an identity, a point person who will set the priorities for the state’s workforce and present the priorities to the Legislature on what to fund with the modest resources we have,” Clarkson told Vermont Public on Tuesday.
“We need to give the people of Vermont the opportunity to advance and expand their education, knowledge and skills to get better paying jobs, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Coventry MP Michael Marcotte
The bill funds an executive director position to oversee the newly created Office of Workforce Strategy and Development.
Republican Rep. Michael Marcotte of Coventry, chairman of the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee, said the person will help lawmakers decide which programs best provide workers with the training they need to enter high-demand fields such as health care and skilled trades.
“We need to give Vermonters the opportunity to advance and expand their education, knowledge and skills to get better paying jobs, and that’s what we’re focused on,” Marcotte said.
Labor Secretary Michael Harrington worked with lawmakers over the summer to define the scope of the new job, which will ultimately be an appointment-level position in the executive branch. Harrington said he welcomes the expansion of the state’s existing workforce development team.
“We know that some of our internal efforts to grow the workforce in Vermont are good and on track. But they are not enough to get it to the level we want,” Harrington said Tuesday. “I think it would be a good addition to our workforce investment toolkit to have a much broader view and to have the ability to bring the partners to the table.”
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