Workforce Development for Arborists in St. Louis

NEXT MEETING INFORMATION:Wednesday, May 17, 2017, 1:00 – 3:30 pm CT
Beyond Housing
6506 Wright Way
Pine Lawn, MO  63121

Please register here:  https://www.tcia.org/TCIA/EVENTS/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=WDSP17_MO

The second phase of the tree care sector partnership and workforce development initiative in St. Louis is building strategy and pull in additional partners.  After the first meeting, the most logical next steps include short-term solutions such as:

• Exploring workforce training programs in partnership with community organizations and the workforce development system in St. Louis.
• Explore registered apprenticeship as a potential way to attract new individuals into a formalized employee training and development program.

The tree care sector partnership will continue working with St. Louis Community College exploring an academic certificate program.  In the meantime, I would like to focus on opportunities that may provide solutions on a faster timeline.

Beyond Housing has emerged as an organization that may help us identify individuals for a workforce training program.  Doug Seely, Community Forester at Beyond Housing attended the first meeting at St. Louis Community College.  They focus revitalization and community-building efforts on the 24:1 Community, the 24 municipalities that make up the Normandy School Collaborative (district) in North St. Louis County.  Beyond Housing offers workforce training and apprenticeship programs in construction fields, and they are interested in learning more about employers in the tree care industry.  You can learn more about their approach here:

http://beyondhousing.org/our-approach

SLATE Missouri Job Center is ready to help explore workforce training programs and registered apprenticeship as a workforce solution in the St. Louis region.  Special representatives from the workforce development system will join us and introduce workforce training and registered apprenticeship to employers.  You can learn more about business support services offered by SLATE here:

https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/slate/

If you have any questions, please contact June Hibbs, Grassroots Outreach Coordinator, at jhibbs@tcia.org or 603-314-128zero.  See you soon!