Hillyard Technical Center/St. Joseph School District photo
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A state senator says the legislature moved this year to address workforce problems in Missouri.
Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of Parkville points out this is the third year in a row that the General Assembly has fully funded the state Foundation Formula, which funds public schools.
The Missouri legislature also allocated $10 million to the new “Fast Track” program.
Luetkemeyer says Fast Track will pay for an older, non-traditional student to return to technical school or community college for training in high-skill manufacturing or information-technology positions which are in high demand.
“It allows people to go back and be able to go debt-free and get those certifications for, frankly, industries that we know are under-served in terms of the workforce,” Luetkemeyer tells St. Joseph Post.
Luetkemeyer says Fast Track will help older workers retrain to qualify for some of the high-demand, high-skill jobs that have become so hard to fill.
“We’ve heard from business owners across northwest Missouri that we need more training programs led by the state,” Luetkemeyer says. “And so, Fast Track answers that call.”