This story is by Robin Smith, staff writer at The Caledonian Record, where it was first published Dec. 7.
JAY — The task to find and prepare those who would fill jobs in Bill Stenger’s Northeast Kingdom Economic Development Initiative is daunting, but possible, according to leaders in education and workforce training.
The challenge is that Stenger will need up to 10,000 people to fill jobs over the next three to five years in the NEK, from the construction industries to those who would work in the clean rooms of AnC Bio Vermont in Newport City.
There aren’t enough students graduating from high schools to fill those jobs. And there aren’t enough unemployed people.
The task is to identify the jobs that will be created and when, list the job requirements and get that information in the hands of the Department of Labor workforce training people, the guidance counselors at schools and to colleges, technical schools and other education institutions across northern Vermont and New Hampshire.
The target workforce includes high school students, recent graduates, the unemployed and underemployed of the NEK, plus those who have left Vermont who want to return and those who live in Vermont who might want to drive or move to the NEK, said leaders who met last week at Jay Peak Resort.
Robert Whittaker of Lyndon State College, a member of the impact study committee, called the effort both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.
“I am experiencing a lot of heartburn right now as I consider what’s in front of us,” said Whittaker.
The committee must identify which programs and training exist and whether it is suited or can be adapted to the new jobs. The committee learned Wednesday that there is no master list of programs available, based on a survey of schools and colleges in the region, Whittaker said.
Another problem is the lack of lists of the new jobs and careers that will be created by Stenger or the companies of each of the developments he is spear-heading.
That list won’t be available immediately. Stenger said a new chief operating officer for AnC Bio Vermont, expected to be hired in the new year, would provide that information.
Pat Moulton Powden, deputy secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce, acknowledged that the area’s educational institutions cannot grow cellular biologists on demand, but they can train people for the 140 jobs with Menck Window Systems, which plans a window manufacturing plant in Newport City.
Gloria Bruce, executive director of the Northeast Kingdom Travel and Tourism Association, said that institutions will need to share information quickly.
The committee will create an online clearinghouse.
Bruce said many people are seeking advice already, like local businesses and chambers of commerce, about how to react to Stenger’s projects, Bruce said.
The size of these developments will transform the NEK, Stenger has said.
Stenger has proposed $600 million worth of new developments, at Jay Peak and Burke Mountain resorts, the Newport State Airport expansion in Coventry, a new downtown block and AnC Bio Vermont and Menck in Newport City and a waterfront hotel in Newport City.
The extreme pace of the developments is driven by the EB-5 program, which is set to expire again in three years. The federal program allows Stenger and his partners to raise funds from foreign investors to build projects and create jobs. In return, the investors receive green cards for themselves and their families.
The impact committee will have a project manager next week to help share information, including with local media and local leaders on select boards, planning and zoning boards.
Many, like Whittaker and Vermont Labor Department Commissioner Anne Noonan, said that they will need to find funding sources to help local secondary schools adapt or expand programs in tight budget times.
They said they could help North Country Union High School provide paid internships to attract students into construction trades. That’s something that Andrew Roy, the counseling coordinator for NCUHS counseling and the school’s new science, technology, engineering and math core curriculum, said would really help.
Other schools are also at the table, from Canaan to St. Johnsbury. And the committee wants to reach out to schools in Franklin and Lamoille counties.
Others said the promotion of non-traditional careers for girls and women will be essential.
School officials are scrambling to prepare. North Country Career Center director Eileen Illuzzi wasn’t at the meeting Wednesday because she was in Virginia, learning how a career center there prepares students for careers in fine wood cabinetry.
Traditional career education here is focused on logging and forestry.
Bruce encouraged the group to help existing businesses adapt to a changing workforce and economy in the NEK.
The creation of a new resort hotel is not an improvement on the local economy if smaller existing motels or inns lose business and close, Bruce said.
And they want to invite in state and federal legislators to the conversation, like Rep. Michael Marcotte of Coventry, vice chairman of the House Commerce Committee.
Other groups are also reacting.
Newport City Renaissance Corp. will hold monthly meetings about the impact on the city, executive director Patricia Sears said.
Northeastern Vermont Development Corp. is seeking funding for a demographics study to help schools plan ahead for future student numbers and to identify where people would live.
The impact committee will also look at transportation, housing and community needs.
