July 2022

Mesa’s Office of Economic Development assisting businesses facing workforce challenges

The labor market in 2022 has presented both challenges and opportunities for economic developers across Arizona and the country; the City of Mesa has been no exception. Over the past six months, Mesa’s Office of Economic Development (OED) has taken actions to understand the root causes of the challenges for Mesa employers and has been working with partners on a multi-pronged approach to provide short and long-term solutions.

In response to feedback from our ongoing business outreach, OED launched a speaker series designed to help employers with their immediate hiring needs. More than 140 attendees from approximately 90 different companies connected in person and online with local workforce development services in the first session. The second workshop focused on recruitment marketing processes with national expert, Ryan Englin. Finally, Trevor Stokes with Partnership for Workforce Innovation, shared what has changed in the labor market since the pandemic and how employers can be part of a community solution including participating in industry-education partnerships.

In addition to the seminars, OED conducted an in-depth labor market analysis and surveyed Mesa employers regarding their short-term hiring needs and challenges. Generally, Mesa’s small businesses communicated a need for greater assistance connecting to the vast array of workforce services. Larger enterprises need better data on workforce availability, experience, and qualifications to improve their recruitment reach and results. Mesa’s OED dedicated significant effort to market these existing resources and connect companies to service providers and ultimately talent. 

Our team will be producing an online workforce development resource directory in the coming weeks. We recognize this as an important piece of a larger workforce development strategy, which will be published later this fall. 

A growing and thriving workforce helps build a strong community. “Workforce Development” is a broad topic that touches a wide spectrum of our community and OED is proud to be part of a multi-departmental effort that is exploring how the city, along with its partners, provides resources to meet the needs of our residents, regardless of their situation or position in life. Given that the availability of skilled labor is the top priority for corporate site selection, our office will continue to convene Mesa employers, stakeholders, and service providers to identify opportunities to share information on new approaches to talent development and recruitment.   

Stay tuned and be a part of these important conversations. If you’d like to be connected to outstanding regional resources now, please contact Bryan Smith at Bryan.Smith@MesaAZ.gov or 480-644-5176. 

ElevateEdAZ looking to partner with Phoenix metro businesses to provide internships for high school students

Mesa’s Office of Economic Development is partnering with Mesa Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation to promote ElevateEdAZ’s Internship Program, a program developed by the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation to provide internships for high school students with area businesses to prepare students as Arizona’s future workforce.

ElevateEdAZ is currently recruiting businesses to partner in its Internship Program. Business partners would provide between 120 and 240 hours of internship experience for high school students. The internships would run between October 2022 and May 2023, with flexible start dates available to accommodate age requirements. Paid internships are preferred.

To be part of the program, students submit internship program applications, interview with business partners, complete employer onboarding documents, and then complete the internship aligned to their high schools’ Career and Technical Education (CTE) program of study. 

Mesa Public Schools CTE programs provide students hands-on learning for a variety of high paying, in-demand careers. ElevateEdAZ’s priority industries for internships include automotive, business management and administration, construction, engineering, finance, health sciences, IT, manufacturing, and marketing among others. Additional CTE programs are also available. ElevateEdAZ staff can provide interested businesses with a full list of programs matching their business priorities.

Mesa businesses interested in participating in the program please visit www.ElevateEdAZ.com/internships/. The deadline to apply as a partner is August 5.

Visit Mesa launches new rich storytelling podcast with six episodes, more to follow

Visit Mesa is hitting the airwaves with their all-new podcast titled, For the Love of Mesa. The podcast is the latest venture by Visit Mesa to further enhance the destination’s unique storytelling and features guest narrator, Brian Nissen, local screenwriter and past host of Citrus Valley Playhouse. Named after Visit Mesa’s steering committee made up of residents, local community leaders, and influential voices that help shape Mesa’s programming, the For the Love of Mesa podcast launched its first season with six curated episodes featuring conversations about news and happenings in the destination.

The first episode features the origin story of Bell Bank Park powered by Legacy Sports USA, which opened earlier this year in Mesa. The 320-acre facility is the largest sports and entertainment venue of its kind in the country and has already hosted legions of athletes, fans, and performers.

Additional episodes feature the story of Armani Williams, the 21-year-old professional stock car driver, and the first professional driver in NASCAR openly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Listeners can soon download podcasts on Mesa’s award-winning Fresh Foodie Trail® where fourth-generation peach farmer Mark Schnepf chats with Mesa head brewer Matt Trethewey about Arizona’s culinary riches and learn about how Mesa is fast becoming the Southwest’s next beer hub as more breweries open in Mesa’s historic downtown.

For the Love of Mesa podcast is available on all major podcast streaming services, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify, as well as Buzzsprout.

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Introducing high school students to careers in tourism

Mesa Regional Foundation for Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion recently launched the Student Tourism Exploration Program (STEP) in partnership with Mesa Public Schools.

High school juniors and seniors who are accepted into the program will be introduced to the many career opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry. Spearheaded by Visit Mesa, the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the city, the students complete hands-on activities with senior staff members of hotels, attractions, restaurants, sports facilities, and more throughout the course of the year. The goal is to demonstrate the vast range of career paths within the industry, as well as build a pipeline of talent for Mesa-based businesses in the tourism sector.

STEP will also emphasize the importance of professionalism, networking, business etiquette, and personal development. Soon, the foundation hopes to award select students with a scholarship to the tourism program at Arizona State University, in addition to opportunities for entry-level jobs and internships throughout Mesa.

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