Here’s yet another reason why Salt Lake City’s workforce continues to grow: our commitment to technical education and training. We’re working hard to connect students to on-the-job training experiences, including a big announcement and guest blog from our partner Salt Lake Community College Workforce:

yearoftecheducation2Utah’s economy had another banner year, outpacing the national economy with the state’s latest unemployment figure at an enviable 3.3 percent over the country’s average of 4.1 percent. Salt Lake City was at the center of many of the good things 2017 brought.

Part of keeping Utah’s economy working for everyone is developing and maintaining a highly skilled workforce, an area where the Beehive State made strides in 2017. Just a few of these milestones include:

  1. Gov. Gary Herbert’s declaration of the Year of Career and Technical Education, highlighting the importance of the highly skilled worker in Utah’s diverse and dynamic economy.
  2. The Governor’s fall introduction of IT Pathways, modeled after the Utah Diesel Tech, Medical Innovations and Utah Aerospace Pathways (education/industry/government partnerships that fast-track workforce training and career readiness).
  3. Continued progress on the new Westpointe Workforce Training and Education Center, Salt Lake Community College’s 121,000-square-foot career and technical 16.02.04 Westpointe SW-PMtraining facility located east of the Salt Lake City International Airport in the City’s growing Northwest Quadrant. When finished, the location will support area industry with a pipeline of potential employees trained on the latest equipment and ready to contribute on the job from their first day of employment. Westpointe is scheduled to open in fall 2018.

“Thought leaders in the state continue to make great strategic decisions, positioning Utah and its people for long-term economic vitality,” commented Rick Bouillon, associate provost for Workforce & Economic Development at Salt Lake Community College. “Thanks to our incredibly diverse economy – one of the most differentiated in the country – there’s a career track for almost every interest and skill set imaginable.”

Opportunities abound in the Salt Lake metro area for flexible training; SLCC offers career training for individuals and corporate training for business and industry. Check out the spring 2018 Workforce catalog to learn more.

*Blog post contributed by Karah Altman, SLCC Workforce