Solving Workforce Pain Points with Community Solutions in Mohave County
November 2021 Update
The Board of the Kingman Young Professionals Coalition continues to host monthly events for young professionals in Kingman. The group plans to highlight local businesses through monthly convenings such as paint nights, kickboxing, and more. The group continues to work on recruiting and marketing for new members.
In September, Local First Arizona (LFA) partnered with Mohave County Economic Development to meet with local manufacturers to gain an understanding of their current workforce pain points. One action item that came from those meetings was to partner to educate local HR professionals about relevant workforce issues, resources, and recruitment and retention strategies.
Subsequently, LFA partnered with Mohave County Economic Development and The Society for Human Resource Management to host the Mohave County HR Symposium in Bullhead City on October 7, 2021. Speakers presented to over 30 attendees from various industries across the county.
Where It All Began:
According to a study recently completed by The Institute for Workforce Excellence, the manufacturing sector is the heart and soul of the economic vitality of Mohave county, including Kingman, Lake Havasu City (LHC), and Bullhead City.
There are 160 manufacturing employers in Kingman, LHC, and Bullhead City that account for 3215 jobs in the region. Manufacturers in Mohave County reached out to Local First Arizona to engage in collaborative conversation utilizing the TPM Model for workforce development to work towards answering the following questions:
Why are there 4300+ youth ages 16-24 who are not enrolled in school, not enrolled in the military, and not connected to these jobs?
What can Mohave County manufacturers do to communicate a better understanding of the younger workforce and create packages that appeal to the true environment they're looking to work within?
Through conversations with manufacturers in Mohave County - more specifically young professionals working in the manufacturing industry in Mohave County - there were a few pain points that quickly surfaced:
Young professionals in Mohave County feel disconnected from their community. This disconnect is creating high turnover rates for many local employers, as young professionals are leaving due to the inability to connect with their new community outside of the workplace.
Job seekers and current employees want to know that there are advancement opportunities and training available for them. Those who are in a work environment where they can clearly see their career trajectory stated that they are more likely to stay at the company they work for. Conversely, those who were unclear about what their role would look like in 6 months or more stated that they were less likely to stay on with that company long-term.
Based on these findings, Local First Arizona - in partnership with Mohave County Economic Development, District 1 Office of Supervisor Lingenfelter, the City of Kingman, and the Kingman Chamber of Commerce - launched a young professionals coalition in Kingman, AZ. A steering committee of driven Kingman young professionals met to formalize what this idea might look like in action. In the short term, the group decided to focus on planning monthly events with a variety of activities to bring young professionals together (outdoor recreation, social hours, service projects, and more). Long-term, the group would like to continue with networking events, but also highlight local industry opportunities and expand to engage in topics that young professionals in the community have highlighted as being most important to them.
The Kingman Young Professionals Coalition has successfully convened two events that brought together more than forty young professionals (ages 18-40) who are either living or working in Kingman. The first event was a happy hour mixer where the young professionals gathered to enjoy food, drinks, and good company. The second was a kickball tournament followed by lunch at a local restaurant and a local prize raffle. Both events provided young professionals in Kingman the opportunity to talk to one another, learn about other young professionals in the area, and build connections within their community.
Local First Arizona is continuing to work with employers in the manufacturing industry in Mohave County to address upskilling and training opportunities that were also identified during the conversation.