As we all return from the Labor Day Holiday having celebrated the end of summer with friends and family, it’s probably fair to say I spent more time reflecting on the spirit of the holiday than most. That’s because at the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board (ACWIB), our sole mission is to develop and lead the current and future East Bay workforce to quality and fulfilling employment opportunities. What surprises many is that we don’t just serve job seekers, but we also devote equal attention to employers, assisting them with a range of workforce needs.

Through our one-stop centers, workforce clients can receive training, education, employment leads, and access to labor market information. Our services aim to help our workforce clients enter into unsubsidized employment, retain jobs, develop skills, and obtain post-secondary degrees. Business clients receive training assistance, access to talented job seekers and specialized consulting services, including information about hiring incentives. In addition to delivering traditional services, ACWIB also conducts economic and labor market research to influence and inform local economic and workforce development within the region.

For example, with so much activity and growth in the region’s manufacturing sector, we recently examined manufacturing workforce trends. As the graphics below illustrate, the results were enlightening, and we think this information helps support the case for continued manufacturing expansion and the re-shoring of specialized processes. In analyzing labor statistics and job advertisements, it turns out there are nearly 56,000 manufacturing jobs in our region. The positions split broadly into three categories: electronic, mechanical, and utility. They also split evenly into “entry level,” “mid-tier,” and “senior,” suggesting that there are tremendous career pathway opportunities for students coming out of high school or community college.

For a closer look at this region’s industry cluster workforce trends, read our recent in-depth Report on the topic. We look forward to using this research to inform our programs and partners — including our specialized career centers focusing on high growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare, biotechnology, ICT, transportation, and logistics, among others. As is often the case in economic development, strong partnerships with business leaders, academia, and the community are the foundation of our work. If you have workforce needs, chances are we can help with a solution. So let’s work together today (no pun intended!) to maintain our region’s economic competitiveness by ensuring a qualified workforce to meet tomorrow’s demand.