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Missouri Is Growing Your Next Generation Technology Workforce

  • August 02, 2017

After nine years of economic expansion, the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent this summer, a 16-year low. Labor shortages throughout many parts of the U.S. are significant and affecting all sectors of the economy.

Few industries, however, are more adversely impacted by the tight labor market than the IT sector, according to a recent article in Expansion Solutions Magazine.

According to the article, “90 percent of local economic development leaders across the U.S. reported that finding a skilled workforce is the top growing concern for companies.”

In Missouri we understand that an educated and trained workforce is essential to success. As a result, Missouri offers traditional and non-traditional training options for workers and companies that allow employers to recruit a workforce that is customized to fit their needs.

Companies such as LaunchCode, a non-profit organization based in St. Louis, Missouri, that works with businesses to set up apprenticeships in technology for talented people who lack the traditional IT credentials, and Claim Academy, which offers 12-week crash courses in programming with a focus on hands-on learning rather than lectures, and real world application rather than memorization, work to bridge the gap between IT talent and Missouri companies, by offering new ways and opportunities for hardworking, intelligent people to get the skills needed to quickly enter the workforce.

But Missouri offers more than just talent to IT companies.

With more than 3 million educated workers Missouri’s talent pool is deep, specialized and experienced in our state’s key growth areas including advanced manufacturing, agtech, logistics and more.

It is home to top-flight universities such as the University of Missouri – Columbia, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla and many more.

Missouri has also been hard at work cultivating innovation districts across the state. The UMKC Innovation Center in Kansas City, Missouri Innovation Center in Columbia, and the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis are just some of the nearly two-dozen innovation communities spread across the state.

And the innovation community in Missouri is not done growing yet. It was recently announced that 39 North, a new agtech innovation district, would be “planting roots” near St. Louis, taking full advantage of Missouri’s long history in agriculture.

This combination of customizable talent, top-flight universities and world-class innovation communities gives Missouri a vast, high tech workforce that is ready work.

For more information on expanding in Missouri contact Steve Johnson, CEO of Missouri Partnership, at 314.725.2688 or via our contact form, with any questions you might have, and learn how Missouri Partnership can help with your business expansion and investment needs.

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