NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Feb. 26, 2024
Media Contact: Georgia.Smith@labor.idaho.gov or Lindsay.Trombly@labor.idaho.gov
Free training is currently available for Idahoans wanting to pursue a career in heavy equipment operation, cement masonry and concrete finishing.
Depending on the occupation, annual wages in this industry can range from $43,000 to $52,000 statewide, according to the 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Survey (OEWS) from the Idaho Department of Labor.
Long-term staffing can be challenging for small family-owned Idaho businesses. Finding and hiring talent can also be a costly burden in a tight labor market. A fully trained candidate expects higher wages, and the cost to train a job candidate can be expensive.
Some Idaho businesses are turning to the Idaho Registered Apprenticeship program to train their children and keep the business in the family.
Aspen Air Design – Malad
Aspen Air Design has been in the HVAC business since 2008 and has locations in Idaho (Rexburg and Malad) as well as Utah.
As owner Virginia Edlefsen experienced hiring challenges, she noticed her 16-year-old grandson Leonardo Dirilo took interest in her business and decided to give him some valuable work experience as a Registered Apprentice.
“He’s handy with tools and he’s very mechanically inclined and likes to be working,” she said. “He likes to work, and the labor of it. He’s quite talented at building metal and putting things together. He’s a quick learner.”
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Oct. 5, 2023
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov
Idaho’s population growth has been growing fast – so quickly that the state had the No. 1 growth rate in the nation at 21.5 % from 2012-2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Labor Economist Lisa Grigg will highlight her research findings on how Idaho’s shifting population affects K-12 enrollments in an Idaho Department of Labor webinar, Tuesday, Oct. 10.
High-speed internet, or broadband internet, once seen as a luxury service, is now understood to be a critical utility that brings equitable economic opportunity to many.
Broadband not only brings social connectivity, but can raise property values, increase job opportunities, boost education access and expand health outcomes through telehealth. [1] However, the difference in access between urban and rural America continues and was especially apparent once the pandemic set in.
This gap, known as the “digital divide,” is a gap rural America is all too familiar with. From 2017-2021, rural households in Idaho have seen smaller percentage increases in internet subscriptions (1.3% fewer) and computing devices (0.5% fewer) than urban households. With the pandemic highlighting this issue to a broader audience, lawmakers are working on closing this gap, increasing economic opportunities for rural households.
Pictured left to right: Owner of High Desert Milk Karla Robinson, High Desert Milk instructor Tory Bailey, Luis Arevalo, Guillermo Martinez, Juvencio Trejo, plant manager Shawn Burton and Bob Snyder.
For student Guillermo Martinez, the Registered Apprenticeship program paved the path to his career.
“The program gave me a head start in life and helped get me ready to work 12 hour shifts. I have learned so much from the plant (High Desert Milk), and I feel I have a better chance of getting hired at other plants,” Martinez said.
The Idaho Department of Labor connects Idahoans to Registered Apprenticeship opportunities in the Gem State to expand and diversify the workforce. And the machine operator apprenticeship is graduating skilled workers in south central Idaho.
The Magic Valley area is host for multiple U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Registered Apprenticeship sponsorships. Various sponsors include the College of Southern Idaho, McCain Foods and High Desert Milk. They each have programs designed to train employees in operation maintenance for manufacturing, packaging, dehydration and use of other machines within a facility.
Not all government grant programs are designed for businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions or local governments. Personal government grants are also available for individuals — Idaho citizens, including students, veterans, homeowners and remote workers, among others.
Personal government grants are usually based on supply of available funding and eligibility requirements. These grants are intended to provide a meaningful benefit to the local economy by creating opportunity, making housing more affordable, educating workers and raising wages.
Currently, more jobs exist than there are job seekers looking for work. Even among active job seekers, job seekers may not have the requisite skills to fill these positions. Grant program funding that supports education and training benefit both employers and job seekers.
Personal education grants
With personal education grants, people can enhance their job skills while contributing to a larger supply of candidates for Idaho’s talent pool. Idaho Launch is one such program, providing funds to promote wider accessibility to training for Idahoans — from high school graduates to mid-career workers.
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Jan. 5, 2023
Media Contact: Kim Empey, Kimberly.Empey@labor.idaho.gov
Idaho nonprofit, educational, community and faith-based organizations, Indian tribes and local governments are eligible for federal funding for community service projects through AmeriCorps.
Interested organizations have until Feb. 10 to submit an application for a grant to Serve Idaho, the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism. A notice of intent to apply for a grant must be filed by Jan. 13 at 4 p.m. MST. A mandatory technical assistance call will be held Jan. 17 at 11 a.m. MST.
Organizations interested in applying must identify their community need, then design and implement an AmeriCorps program that leverages people power as a solution. Organizations receiving funds are responsible for recruiting, training and managing AmeriCorps members to deliver those services.
Serve Idaho and AmeriCorps provide funding for the following focus areas: disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, veterans and military families.
Grant awards vary in amount based on the size, complexity and cost of running an AmeriCorps program.
Learn more about this grant opportunity at https://serve.idaho.gov/grantsfunding/.
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In 2021, AmeriCorps committed more than $5.2 million to support Idaho communities through AmeriCorps initiatives. This federal investment leveraged more than $1.2 million in other resources to strengthen community impact, build local support and increase return on taxpayer dollars.
Serve Idaho is a division of the Idaho Department of Labor and the state’s AmeriCorps programs is administered by the Serve Idaho Commission. Serve Idaho is funded in part by the federal agency AmeriCorps and the Idaho Department of Labor.
For information about Serve Idaho and AmeriCorps service opportunities visit serveidaho.gov
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Serve Idaho is supported by AmeriCorps. A total of $4,519,228, or 61%, of the program is financed with federal funds, and $2,893,430, or 39%, is funded by local support.
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Nov. 22, 2021
Media Contact: Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov
Out-of-school youth between ages 16 and 24 now have numerous opportunities to learn new skills and increase their earnings through apprenticeships, on-the-job and vocational training and much more thanks to a federal program managed by the Idaho Department of Labor.
“Qualified individuals have so many options with this program,” said Keith Whiting, career planner.
Hundreds of young people are already benefitting from the program, with more than 1,000 served during the past two years. The state of Idaho receives annual funding – around $2.8 million in 2021 – in Idaho Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds to offer these services.
The labor force receives an infusion of workers each May after high school graduation. In south central Idaho, early estimates show nearly 2,500 students graduated this spring from public schools in the eight-county area. The final numbers will be released later this year to account for students still completing courses over the summer and those who still plan to graduate by the end of the year.
Finding data on where the graduates end up after the ceremony is more difficult to track. The ‘go on’ rate, or the percentage of high school graduates who continue on to college or community college for degrees or certificates, is an imperfect estimate. Idaho’s rate has hovered around 50 percent, up or down five percent, in recent years. A sizeable portion of the 50 percent who do not ‘go on’ need employment, roughly 1,250 regionally, based on the 2018 graduation rate estimates.
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: June 14, 2018
Information Contact: Kandi Rudd 208-236-6710 ext. 3677 or Connie Gardner 208-557-2500 ext. 3547
“Growing Together,” a professional development opportunity for eighth-12th grade counselors, college and career advisors, and career and technical education professionals, is scheduled for Aug. 7-8 in two locations – Idaho State University in Pocatello and College of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls. Continue reading