Earn Up : Connecting Companies on the First Coast to Future Talent
by Dylan McGuire
Finding and hiring the right talent is an essential part of any growing business . Not having enough people to fill needed roles can lead to decreased productivity and lost revenue for businesses of all sizes and types .
This is especially true in Northeast Florida — one of the fastest-growing regions in the country . Businesses often struggle to connect with talented individuals to fill open roles as more and more older workers retire , new roles are created and current workers are promoted or move on to new positions .
Earn Up , powered by JAXUSA Partnership ( a division of the JAX Chamber ), is addressing the talent shortage on the First Coast by attracting and developing talent and connecting them with local businesses . This organization partners with education , business and community leaders through a shared framework that supports long-term economic growth and better outcomes for workers and businesses alike .
An important aspect of the Earn Up mission is to connect young people with career development resources in major industries in the region . This starts with professional development and workshops in school districts in the area , as well as working with teachers , counselors and college administrators , says Anna Lebesch , senior vp of stratey and
Anna Lebesch
Targeted Industries
talent development at JAXUSA Partnership . The organization also works with communitybased organizations such as Junior Achievement , Big Brothers / Big Sisters and Goodwill to do youth training as well as transitioning adults and veterans who are looking to start a new career .
Lebesch says that the organization discovered that there was a lack of public knowledge of the industries in Northeast Florida , including what industries were growing and the career opportunities and pathways that exist within those industries .
In response , Earn Up now targets several major industries , including advanced manufacturing , transportation , logistics , health and biomedical , information technologies , innovation and financial services .
The Earn Up website now includes direct links to the companies in these industries as well as spotlight articles about the people who work in them .
“ We not only want our audience to know what the career opportunities are in those industries , but we want them to be able to see actual people who work in those industries ,” says Lebesch .
Strong Job Market
Unlike other regions that struggled in recent years during the pandemic , the Jacksonville area has maintained a strong job market with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Florida , says Lebesch .
“ There continues to be a lot of opportunity for individuals who are either coming out of high school or our colleges or are transitioning adults ,” she says .
“ One of our goals is to really make sure that when they ’ re looking at what opportunities are available to them — that they ’ re really aligning their thinking with where the job growth is happening ,” she says .
A Changing Workforce
Lebesch emphasizes that while there may be growing opportunities in the region , companies need to be aware of the changing demographics of the workforce .
“ There are fewer young people today compared to those who are currently in the workforce . So , I think one of the challenges that all companies are faced with is , as they have individuals in their workforce that are retiring , there ’ s not going
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