Solving a complex challenge

Phil Cobb

Maryville has a complex challenge to overcome.

There are existing employers here that want to grow, but don’t believe they can because of a perceived lack of available workforce.

There are additional employers that may want to locate businesses here, but don’t believe they can, because of — you guessed it — perceived lack of available workforce.

Now, you might wonder why I throw that word “perceived” in there.

Well, for one reason, I don’t really believe that it’s true.

I understand why employers and potential employers believe it to be true, but I’m not really buying it.

It’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg kind of thing.

Which came first? (Of course it was the chicken)

So, which comes first, the employees or the employers?

When employers look at Maryville, and northwest Missouri in general, they love the idea of locating here, primarily because of our reputation for having a superior work ethic.

The problem is, they don’t think we have enough workers to fill their jobs.

This is not a new problem.

It’s something that people like Economic Developer Josh McKim deal with on a regular basis.

Nodaway County is said to be virtually at or very near “full employment.”

Put another way, it’s at near zero unemployment.

Seems pretty simple. Seems like everyone of working age who lives in Nodaway County has a job.

But that’s far from true.

What “full employment” means is that everyone who wants a job, has a job.

It could also mean that there are people — maybe a few, maybe a lot — who for whatever reason, aren’t looking for a job.

Maybe they don’t think going to work is worth it, because they won’t make enough to justify the added expense of having a job.

Or maybe they’ve given up on finding a job.

Regardless of the reason, I’m confident that there are available workers already here.

You just have to flush them out.

When Energizer closed, hundreds of people lost jobs. Many dropped out of the job market.

On top of that, I think employers might be underestimating the size of the market for available workers.

Don’t limit the scope to just Maryville, or just Nodaway County, or even just northwest Missouri.

People will drive an hour or more for a good job and think nothing of it.

Beyond that, people will relocate for a good job.

Trenton, which is less than two hours from here, is preparing for the loss of, by far, its largest employer, Con-Agra.

Somewhere around 500 employees will be directly affected by its closure.

That’s where the problem starts to get even more complicated.

If people want to move here … where are they going to live?

Maryville is not known for its affordable housing.

Efforts have been underway for a while now, and significant progress has been made.

But there’s still a long way to go.

So … what’s the solution?

Fortunately, there are some smart and forward-thinking people working on it.

This newspaper will be doing its part to bring attention to these challenges and to highlight the work being done to improve the situation.

Make sure you get a copy of Tuesday’s newspaper and read a piece from staff writer Tony Brown that will bring to light efforts by Northwest Technical School and North Central Missouri College to better prepare workers for the types of skills desired by area manufacturers.

This is a great example of economic developers and educators working together toward a common goal, and will be the first among stories with an ongoing focus on this and related issues.

In my opinion we need to change the way we talk to young people coming out of high school and area trade schools.

There seems to be a prevailing belief that our children have to grow up and go somewhere else to be successful.

That might be true for some, but certainly not for all.

There are plenty of opportunities right here, and there are more and more reasons all the time to feel good about staying here to begin a career and to raise a family.

While they might not be the kinds of opportunities we have focused on in the past, they are here.

Who better to take advantage of those opportunities than people who already call Maryville and Nodaway County home?

Phil Cobb is the owner and publisher of the Maryville Daily Forum and The Post.