A bill that would improve a little-known work training program that started in 2013 is working its way through the Missouri Legislature.
Senate Bill 10, which has been approved by the Senate and sent to the House for consideration, would streamline the Missouri Works Training Program.
While unknown by the general public, the program is important for our state's workforce and companies to remain competitive. It helps mostly companies that are retraining their workforce but also companies that are expanding.
Missouri Works Training Program connects companies with a member of the program's training team who guides companies through the application process and provide ongoing management of approved projects. The team helps companies define their training needs, locate or provide training resources, and helps keep the project moving forward, according to the program's website.
Missouri Works Training provides funds directly to companies based on their application and training plan.
Training might take place in a classroom setting, on-the-job or at a company facility, or in a skill training center operated by one the training providers. Companies decide who provides the training - the training team, a company expert, or a private vendor.
Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, filed the bill to, among other things, let companies help develop job-training curriculum in community colleges.
"This is a natural marriage of interests that is mutually beneficial to both the businesses and the community colleges," Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, wrote in his weekly column last Sunday.
Kehoe pointed to a $75 million business expansion in southeast Missouri he says would not have happened without a partnership between the business and a community college.
Under the bill, the state Department of Economic Development could contract for advertising, marketing and promotion of the program, spending up to $50,000 a year.
The business landscape is ever-changing. Here in Jefferson City, we've recently seen the end of longtime big-box stores such as Sears and Kmart, while new businesses such as Uber look to enter the local market.
For some companies to stay in the black, constant change requires periodically retraining employees. The Missouri Works Training Program does that, and SB10 would help to make the program more effective.
We encourage the House to follow the Senate's lead and pass the legislation.