•March 9, 2016•

By Kennedy D. Nolen
For the News Progress

The Chamber of Commerce and select businesses in Moultrie County have teamed up with local school districts to help educate students about different career paths and job availability in the community.

According to the Skills Gap Survey conducted by ‘No Jobs Left Behind,’ 30 businesses, under four main sectors: healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and technology and services, in Moultrie, Coles, Douglas, and Shelby counties projected an estimate of almost 800 jobs available in 2016 in a variety of fields; jobs varied from accountants to drivers and from mechanics to welders.  Some of these companies started lacking labor in their facilities, leading to a decrease in growth and expansion.

To solve the problem, the Chamber and businesses such as Agri-Fab, Hydro-Gear, Marvin Keller Trucking, Caterpillar, Justrite, MasterBrand, GSI, and Mid-State Tank offered tours of their facilities to students interested in career opportunities during Manufacturing Week last October 26-30. During that week of Manufacturing Month, 245 students from Humboldt, Sullivan, Okaw Valley, Shelbyville, Tuscola, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, and Windsor were able to see the facilities and talk with professionals about potential opportunities. Since this event was such a success, it will continue again this October.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.