Gov. Mike Parson has declared September 2020 Workforce Development Month to promote higher education and job training programs across the state.
In an official proclamation, signed on Saturday, Aug. 26, Gov. Parson said, “Missouri is finding ways to expand, modernize, sustain apprenticeships and work-based learning, enhance regional workforce development, and ensure we are building the labor force that businesses need to make Missouri the best place to live and work in America.”
Throughout September, the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development is celebrating and raising awareness for its many job training and career advancement initiatives. This month the department will host virtual job fairs, launch the state’s new Missouri Apprentice Connect portal, host the annual Chief Local Elected Officials Summit, and reopen the remaining closed Missouri Job Centers, including the Capital City Job Center that closed after the May 2019 tornado.
Missouri is also partnering with CompTIA, one the world’s largest nonprofit trade organizations, to start offering free IT training and certification for displaced workers. The previously announced partnership with Coursera has extended its enrollment deadline from Sept. 30 to Oct. 31. Displaced workers can utilize these free training programs to return to the workforce stronger.
Along with these Workforce Development Month initiatives, MDHEWD will continue its Return Strong recovery efforts aimed at helping Missourians skill up and get back to work as the state rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic.
MDHEWD will also promote Workforce Development Month on social media, highlighting different paths to a career, and sharing valuable resources. Learn more about Return Strong and Missouri’s workforce system at jobs.mo.gov/return-strong.
About the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development: The department works to empower Missourians with the skills and education needed for success. More information about MDHEWD can be found at https://dhewd.mo.gov or on Facebook and Twitter @MoDHEWD.