Focus on Manatee | Use economic downturn as a chance to search for new job opportunities
“In the new economy, disruption will be the new normal.”
This is the first sentence — from the first page — of CareerSource Suncoast’s ‘20-‘25 Strategic Plan, which was published in December 2019. The economy was humming along with virtually full employment, and the popular workforce topic was the expanding skills gap, and a drought of talent for many jobs.
Today the unemployment rate in our region is drifting around the 13-14%, a level all but unimaginable as recently as just a few months ago. Ironically, however, the same topics of skills gaps and a mismatched workforce remain the same. The difference is that this longer range challenge, is now added to the acute, urgent crisis hitting major sectors of the workforce like a tsunami. Many jobs have simply disappeared, or are radically changed, leaving stunned workers without transferable skills to shift rapidly among changing employer and marketplace needs.
If you are one of those affected, then what can you do to keep yourself relevant and engaged in the workforce? Gone are the days, at least for now, where you can walk into a business and fill out an application. You may not even be able to reach someone by phone either because their hours have been reduced or the business is temporarily closed. Maybe you’re just temporarily laid off and waiting for your company to reopen. They’ll certainly hire everyone back, right? I hope so, but I also encourage you not to sit around and wait. Dust off your resume, learn something new, sharpen your current skills, research new industries and careers. There are many free resources available for you to take advantage of while you figure out your next steps.
If your unemployment benefits are ending and you need work now, we have $400,000 in funding to get you placed in temporary employment related to COVID-19 for up to three months. While not a permanent solution, this is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door with a company you may have never considered working for before.
Consider a new career path. We’re working with the Manatee County Community Development Block Grant to get individuals trained as certified logistics or production technicians, and each of those careers employ over 6 million people worldwide.
You may even consider going back to school for a degree or a certificate in a high demand field, and CareerSource Suncoast has more than half a million dollars in scholarships that may be able to pay for it. From nursing to manufacturing, business administration and web development, there are over 100 programs to choose from if you’re thinking about a new career path.
Use this time to prepare and think about your next steps. We know that the skills gap has been top of mind for employers for years, so think about what you can do for yourself now to help narrow that gap and stand out amongst your peers. If you need some guidance then that’s what CareerSource Suncoast is here for – our team can help you get ready in this time of disruption. We’re navigating it right along with you and are lucky to have resources and partners that can also assist. Help is here.
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Our phone #: (941) 358-4200
Temporary Employment: https://careersourcesuncoast.com/coviddwg/
Get trained to become a Certified Logistics or Production Technician: https://careersourcesuncoast.com/certifiedtech/
Scholarships: http://careersourcesuncoast.com/training
Ted Ehrlichman is the president and CEO of CareerSource Suncoast.