Volusia County Council on Friday issued a proclamation designating Sept. 25 as Workforce Development Month and hosted a panel that urged stronger partnerships between schools, employers and workforce agencies to address projected shortages in construction and manufacturing trades.

The proclamation, read and presented by County Council Member Jake Johansen, recognized local workforce organizations and training partners and said the county would sign and endorse the designation. Johansen noted, “As you can see, most, if not all of us, have signed as well.”

County economic-development staff and local employers told an audience of business and education leaders that training pipelines currently fall short of projected demand for skilled workers. The panel included Scott Bowman (Bowman Painting), Glenn Harvey (AC Doctor Complete) and Mark Hazen (Hazen Construction); county staff emphasized outreach through Volusia County Schools, Daytona State College and CareerSource Brevard, Flagler, Volusia.

Why it matters: panelists and staff presented data showing demand for plumbers, welders and electricians in the county over the coming four to eight years and said local educational output does not match that need. County leaders also announced the transition of the Volusia Business Incubator to county management under the new brand Volusia Innovation Hub and invited businesses to a Sept. 15 launch event.

Panelists and staff identified specific gaps and opportunities. County presenters said CareerSource helped 544 businesses and 8,507 job seekers in the last year in the region and placed 126 individuals in Volusia County; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s partnership with Boeing was cited as supporting the creation of about 400 high-paying jobs in the county. Presenters reported a countywide average wage of $53,322, with construction averaging about $59,000 and manufacturing about $66,000; the national median wage for electricians was cited as roughly $62,000.

Local employers sketched training shortfalls in concrete terms. The presentation asked the audience to compare projected need against current graduates: examples cited during the panel included about 456 plumbers and roughly 400 welders needed over the next four years, while local educational programs produce far fewer graduates annually (examples given: 147 construction-related program completions, 53 HVAC completions; exact pipeline figures and methodologies were described by presenters as not factoring company-run training programs).

Employers offered practical recruitment and retention advice. Mark Hazen said prospective small-business owners need “a reason why” and a long-term commitment to the work of running a company. Scott Bowman described recruiting practices that prioritize candidate core values and noted the company uses skills tests and group interviews to evaluate applicants. Glenn Harvey said trades work offers “a lot of gratification when you help someone” and that a practical, hands-on career can be a good fit for people who prefer that work to office jobs.

County staff framed the incubator transition as one element of a broader effort to help small trades and lifestyle businesses scale to employer status. The county said it retained the incubator’s long-serving program manager, Connie Garson, to lead programming aimed at trades and locally based entrepreneurs, and invited the public to a Sept. 15 launch and tour.

The meeting included a request for local businesses and community members to partner with schools and workforce providers to increase apprenticeship and training slots. Speakers repeatedly distinguished between discussion and formal action: the proclamation was read and signed as a ceremonial county council action; the remainder of the meeting consisted of presentations, panel discussion and an invitation to partner—not new binding county policy or budget action.

Looking ahead: county staff encouraged businesses and residents to register for the Volusia Innovation Hub launch and to explore flyers and contact points provided at tables to discuss concrete ways to partner with Volusia County Schools and workforce agencies.