Career Chat Camp Equips Youth with Employment Skills, Confidence

When it comes to finding employment, many face challenges and obstacles to overcome.

Career Chat Camp is specifically designed by the Idaho Department of Labor to help youth with disabilities – ages 16 to 24 – overcome challenges and obstacles of finding employment. The weeklong camps cover skill building, job readiness and career exploration.

CCC1“Throughout the week we discovered various personal challenges the youth faced including homelessness, disabilities, illiteracy and many more,” said Rachel Piepmeyer, a disability resource coordinator with the Idaho Department of Labor. “These challenges play a significant role in their thoughts on work and success.”

The camp’s Boise pilot, which took place in early August and was supported by many area businesses and organizations, served as a successful kickoff to what will now be an ongoing program. Topics range from finding entry level jobs and filling out applications, to interviewing and identifying habits for success.

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Demand Rising for Some Occupations in Idaho

Year-over-year statistics show Idaho is seeing employment gains. In October, the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent, down from 5.9 percent a year earlier, but what kind of jobs have been created to reduce the number of unemployed workers?

Based on the Conference Board’s Help Wanted Online database of unique online job postings for October 2014, there were 28,877 job postings, an increase of 4,510 from October 2013.

The Conference Board database, however, does not include all job openings. Many employers recruit by word of mouth or other less-than-public methods, but Conference Board data can provide a snapshot of what jobs are being created in the state. Also, not all postings are to fill new jobs. Most postings are to fill existing jobs opened up by workers leaving for retirement or other opportunities.

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Idaho Wages – An Historical Perspective

Idaho’s recent real wage struggles and historical downturn are not unique. The trends Idaho has experienced are similar to those seen by other states in the West and the Great Lakes, and several have experienced greater declines.

Idaho’s industrial makeup has changed over the past 40 years as the state has experienced an economic shift, but wages in most industries historically have been lower than the national average and continue to decline in comparison across sectors despite different growth trends. Differences in the average annual wage between Idaho and the nation are not entirely mitigated by Idaho’s lower cost-of-living. Even with a cost-of-living adjusted Idaho wages ranked last in the country in 2012.

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Do You Need College Financial Aid? Deadlines are Fast Approaching

As college costs continue to rise and families find they need help paying for school, the search for financial aid becomes more important.

If you or your child needs college financial aid or funding for postsecondary education, now is the time to step up your search. February is Financial Aid Awareness Month in Idaho and across the country, and there are lots of resources to support your quest.

The application required at most colleges – FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is an essential form for requesting financial aid. A completed FAFSA is required for federal scholarship and loan agencies; most college and other postsecondary school financial aid offices. The sooner after Jan. 1 an application is received, the greater the chances are of receiving aid that’s given on a first-come, first-served basis.

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MLK Day: Idaho Opportunities to Give Back

Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr.-Human Rights Day and opportunities to volunteer and engage in community betterment are plentiful throughout Idaho.

Historically Martin Luther King Jr. Day marks the recognition of the life and birth of one of our country’s greatest civil rights leaders. National legislation passed in 1994 challenges Americans to transform the holiday into a day of citizen action in honor of Dr. King.

Learn more about events planned for around the state:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service- Lewiston: The Lewis-Clark Service Corps and MLK Day Planning Committee are inviting community members to participate in volunteer opportunities including working with the Idaho Foodbank, Idaho State Veterans Home, Boys and Girls Club in Lewiston, St. Vincent de Paul in Lewiston and Clarkson, the Lewiston City Library and Homes of Hope. Volunteers can sign up at the LCSC Student Union Building at 10 a.m. to be assigned to sites around the valley.

University of Idaho MLK Celebration – Moscow: The University of Idaho and Washington State University have planned a series of events throughout January including featured speakers, marches, rallies, films and educational activities. Food collections will be taken for the Vandal Food Pantry.

Idaho State University MLK March – Pocatello: Idaho State University is holding a march and food drive to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

Boise State University MLK Day Celebrations – Boise: Students and community member can take part in a march from the Boise State University campus to the Idaho State Capitol for a rally. Following the rally, which will feature speakers commemorating Dr. King, participants will return to Boise State University to take part in campus service activities.

Corpus Christi Food Drive – Boise Big Brothers / Big Sisters is hosting a food drive to benefit the Corpus Christi House.

Hand of Hope Sends Medical Supplies to Kenya, Rwanda: Hands of Hope Northwest is calling for volunteers to help pack and sort medical supplies to be sent to countries in need.

Learn more about other national days of service at Serve Idaho.

Idaho Labor Market Shows Improvement Since Recession

Idaho’s employment conditions have improved considerably in the past two years. Even the counties experiencing the most economic challenges are showing improvement. August was the first month since March 2008 that Idaho did not have any counties with double-digit unemployment rates. Eighteen of Idaho’s 44 counties experienced unemployment rates above 10 percent at some time between December 2007 and July 2014.

Idaho’s job growth is moving back to its pre-recession levels. January was the first month nonfarm payroll jobs in the United States exceeded pre-recession levels. This September, they were about 1. 1 percent – 1.38 million jobs – higher than in September 2007, three months before the recession began. In Idaho total nonfarm payroll jobs have not recovered completely. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated 655,400 jobs this September, which was 1.7 percent lower – 11,500 jobs – than September 2007.

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Boise Engineer Chooses Idaho for Work, Family, Quality of Life

Ryan Rehder Choose Idaho program

Ryan Rehder addresses attendees at the Choose Idaho press conference in September 2014.

During his time in the U.S. Navy, Ryan Rehder experienced living and working in many areas of the country including Chicago, Charleston, S.C., upstate New York and Connecticut. Following his college graduation, Rehder had job prospects in Honolulu, Portland, OR, and Walnut Creek, CA. When it came time for Rehder to decide where he would continue his career and raise his family, he chose Idaho.

Rehder, a project engineer with Mountain Water Works in Boise, was drawn to a career in Idaho primarily because of the small company atmosphere available here.

“I understood the risk associated with a small company, but I also understood the potential rewards,” Rehder said. “There is excellent opportunity for motivated individuals.”

In the workplace, Rehder said he appreciates his colleagues because of their shared values and rural roots. However, it wasn’t just the company culture that brought Rehder to Idaho.

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Department of Labor Staff Helps Veteran Find Employment Through Networking

“I got the job!”

What a wonderful email to receive from one of our local veterans.

Navy Gulf War veteran Sherri Henry was seeking a professional position with better benefits for herself and her family. Henry approached AmeriCorps veterans representative, Sheila Kopczynski, for assistance with her job search.

Meanwhile, Mike Greco, an administrative officer with the Army Corps of Engineers Lower Granite Dam, contacted Kopczynski about filling an office automation position, a position similar to an office manager.

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December Economic Activity Around Idaho

Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Statewide
Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

STATEWIDE DEVELOPMENTS

  • Idaho compensates for its low ratio of physicians to population by providing opportunities for Idahoans to attend medical school at the University of Washington or the University of Utah. Idaho is 49th in the nation for both the number of physicians overall and for the number of physicians working in primary care. Taking steps to increase the number of physicians is a major legislative priority of the Idaho Medical Association for 2015. The association has made establishing residency opportunities its top priority, Executive Director Susie Pouliot told the Idaho Business Review. The Idaho State Board of Education has included funding for more residency program spots in its budget request to Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter for next year, Pouliot said.
  • By 2016, Idaho Power could add 461 megawatts of solar-generating capacity to its system. Developers have signed contracts to sell electricity to Idaho Power from the 16 projects in Idaho and Oregon under a federal law that requires the utility to buy power to encourage small and alternative energy producers. If all plants are built, Idaho Power would have a total of 1,253 megawatts of new green power on its grid, utility spokesman Brad Bowlin said, according to the Idaho Statesman. Last year, Idaho’s peak load was 3,407 megawatts in July, which would make green power 37 percent of its system. The share of alternative energy in Idaho Power’s portfolio tripled from 2010 to 2013, rising from 7 percent to 23 percent excluding hydroelectric power. Intermountain Energy Partners, the Idaho developer behind most of that solar projects, said its facilities will create 1,000 construction jobs and 50 permanent jobs. Based in Ketchum with offices in Boise, the company is set to build solar plants with a combined $800 million in construction costs, according to Leif Elgethun, a partner with the company.

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Half of Rural Idaho Students Exceed National Poverty Rates

Half of Idaho school districts have poverty rates among their students above the national poverty rate for children ages 5 to 17 and nearly all of them are in rural parts of the state.

Official poverty estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau are augmented by estimates from government agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development and private organizations like the nonprofit Alliance for a Just Society in Seattle, which publishes an annual living wage report.

Government poverty estimates are important because they determine eligibility for housing rental and heating assistance, subsidies for home maintenance and repair, and low-interest, first-time home mortgages. The living wage is the amount a household must earn to meet basic expenses. The Alliance for a Just Society adjusts its calculations to reflect the different cost-of-living levels in cities and states.

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