SUSTAINABLE SMART GROWTH ECONOMIC PROGRAM

Workforce development is important to ensuring that residents can successfully compete for employment opportunities and that all residents have the opportunity to benefit from economic prosperity. The availability of a workforce with a wide range of skills and education levels can help local businesses grow and attract new businesses. By offering residents opportunities to learn skills for a wide range of jobs, workforce development efforts might also reduce the need for residents to commute long distances to find appropriate employment, thereby improving quality of life and reducing pollution from vehicles. This smart growth economic development component focuses on how well the skills and education of the local workforce align with the needs  of existing and growing industries and provides insight into what the community could do to help workers better match business' needs.