Kansas Chamber Updates Workforce Report, Recommendations

The Kansas Chamber on Wednesday released its updated The Challenge to Compete - Kansas Workforce 2020 report during its 2021 Workforce Development and Education Summit. It included strategies to address impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Since launching the Kansas Vision 2025 strategic action plan three years ago, the Kansas Chamber has worked to identify how the state can better compete in attracting, building, and creating wealth in Kansas,” said Kansas Chamber President and CEO Alan Cobb. "While the Chamber and its members have long recognized the state’s workforce challenges and have worked to address some of the issues, this report reinforces the Chamber’s advocacy efforts. It also will help raise more awareness about the actions elected officials, educators, and workforce development leaders should consider so Kansas businesses can find workers with the skills they need."

Commissioned by the Chamber in 2020 and again in 2021, Economic Leadership used research, a review of national best practices, and interviews with Kansas business, education, and workforce development leaders to learn what can be done to improve workforce development and how education can better align with the staffing needs of our state’s industries.

During the summit, business, human resource, workforce development, and education leaders discussed ways they recruit, train, and retain employees and how the state could implement the report’s recommendations and the proposed strategies to address the impact of COVID-19.

"We expect this report to be a living plan that will improve and expand in the next few years as the Chamber meets and works with other stakeholders committed to addressing our state’s workforce challenges," said Cobb. "We look forward to helping build a talent pipeline that allows Kansas and its citizens to grow and prosper."

Click here to read the full report.