Spokane Workforce development agency changes its focus. Council concentrates efforts on employers rather than job seekers in tight market

The Spokane Area Workforce Development Council, which previously concentrated on job-placement services, says it’s shifting its focus to help employers evaluate and fill their work force needs in the midst of a tight labor market here.

The council, which is operated jointly by the city of Spokane and Spokane County, disburses and administers federal funds to agencies that provide job-related services here, such as Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest, Educational Service District 101, Career Path Services, and WorkSource Spokane. Those services provide education and training programs for youths and adults, do consulting work for businesses, and gather labor market data for employers and others to use, says Mark Mattke, work-force strategy and planning director at Workforce Development.

For instance, WorkSource Spokane’s business solutions team helps employers find workers, he says. Goodwill Industries operates a Planning Action for Youth Success Program that supplies job and professional-skills training.

By Emily Brandler

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