As part of our Targeted Economic Development Strategy (TEDS), over the past few months MVPC has been working with the communities of Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover to meet with large employers in their communities. The goal of this effort is to identify and respond to challenges the employers face with being located in this region, and the number one concern routinely mentioned is workforce recruitment and retention. This issue appears to be most prevalent in the local manufacturing industry and existed both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is a strong workforce base in our region, MVPC has observed a gap that exists in connecting local employers with local employees.
To begin to address this challenge, MVPC and its partners have put together a workforce webinar panel for manufacturing businesses to attend and ask questions about best practices in workforce recruitment and retention. The event, scheduled for October 6th at 2:00, will feature panelists who offer various perspectives on the workforce issue, including:
- Brian Norris, Executive Director, MassHire Merrimack Valley
- Jonathan Isaacson, CEO, The Gem Group
- Walter Mena, Staff Director & Lead Organizer, Merrimack Valley Project
The panelists will address a number of topics and leave ample time for question and answer from attendees. Topics include but are not limited to:
- How to access the local workforce
- Best ways to market open positions
- Strategies to improve employee retention
- State programs and grants available to support a company’s workforce
Visit this page to register and learn more about the event if you are a manufacturing business interested in attending. Questions about the event? Contact Ian at [email protected]
Thank you to our partners for helping make this event happen: The Towns of Andover and North Andover, The City of Lawrence, Essex County Community Foundation, Lawrence Partnership, Gemline, MassHire, and Merrimack Valley Project.
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