An inter-regional effort focusing on job training and placement will benefit job-seekers in nearly half of the state pursuing in-demand jobs during the next few years, including those in Cole County.
With driver training requirements for new commercial driver's license applicants, schools are seeing an uptick in applicants ahead of the new FMCSA regulations
Some states train jobless for post-pandemic workforce
Aaron Huntley quit a job as a fast food manufacturer for training as a welder.
Renato Queiroz used to be a catering manager for a hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, a historic town known for its yachts and Gilded Age mansions. “I dealt with a lot of weddings,” he said recently.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and Queiroz, 31, decided to quit the floundering hospitality industry and try something new.
He enrolled in a free community college course that trains people to use chemical processing equipment. Now he’s looking for manufacturing jobs and plans to earn a bachelor’s degree. “Going through this program opened up a different world for me,” he said.