(The Center Square) – Maricopa County is adding more funding the ongoing effort to increase Arizona’s trades workforce.
The county has already spent $12 million on the program, but the Board of Supervisors recently cleared another $500,000 to be spent on it in hopes of bolstering sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and construction in the Phoenix metropolitan area, according to a news release.
“The additional funding for the apprenticeship program not only helps residents with an opportunity to obtain skills for a sustainable career, but also helps to meet the workforce needs of growing industries,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers said in a statement.
“By investing in the workforce, Maricopa County is striving to secure economic growth, which supports stability for all,” he added.
The money is sourced from the $871 million given to the country through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which was a COVID-19 stimulus package passed early during the Biden administration, the news release added. There is a current goal of having 3,000 go through the program until 2026, and is already about halfway to its goal – as it launched two years ago.
There is a greater effort statewide in order to make up for any potential gaps in many sectors.
In September, Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office announced a “Workforce Cabinet” and the “Talent Ready AZ Initiative,” which most notably entailed in an Executive Order that 1% of federal “grants” provided to Arizona must be allocated for “workforce development as allowable,” The Center Square reported.
“I’m laser-focused on attracting and growing business and creating good-paying jobs for Arizonans,” Hobbs said in a statement at the time. “Talent Ready AZ will show businesses Arizona has the best workforce in the country and give Arizonans the skills they need to thrive in industries like advanced manufacturing, cyber security, health care, and clean energy.”
The hope is to fill an estimated 400,000 jobs across different skilled sectors before 2030, according to the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
