Mojave County – Mojave Community College partners with Local First Arizona to help create and scale industry-led training programs as part of a network of five counties.

Northern Arizona Good Jobs Network (NAGJN) serves Mojave, Coconino, Yavapai, Apache, and Navajo counties. The College participates in a network of partners, including local governments, state and county governments, local businesses, non-profit organizations and economic development groups, to help develop and implement projects that provide assistance to the unemployed and underemployed across the region.

“This is a great opportunity for the university to expand its talent development efforts in the region and ensure it continues to meet the needs of businesses and industries,” said Dr. Kirk Lacy, Director of Human Resources and Regional Partnerships at MCC. “The ultimate goal is to have more people receive training that provides employment opportunities that offer good pay, benefits and growth opportunities.”

MCC and other community colleges will play a role in supporting the creation and expansion of industry-led workforce training programs aimed at providing skills and connecting workers to existing and emerging job opportunities in four focus areas: health care and social services, retail and hospitality, manufacturing and transportation, and construction.

The NAGJN project has three phases.

Systems Development – ​​Identifying skills needs and hiring commitments from employers and translating them into effective training-to-hire models.

Program Design – Help employers identify hiring needs and market analysis for in-demand industries. Develop training models and curricula necessary to produce trained and skilled workers. Conduct an ongoing gap analysis to determine how existing and new training models can be expanded to eliminate unnecessary hiring requirements while developing a talent pipeline with the required skills. Secure employment commitments from employers. It also conducts outreach to engage underserved workers in the program.

Program Implementation – Recruit program participants with a focus on underserved workers, unemployed or underemployed people. Conduct skills training and provide comprehensive services to participants. And put workers in high-paying, high-quality jobs.

“The Northern Arizona Good Jobs Network is an exciting and innovative way to develop new educational programs that meet the needs of employers who have chosen the region to locate and grow their businesses,” said Jenna Lowell, Regional Development Director for Local First Arizona. “Through extensive collaboration, we will design an approach that accelerates the entry of more workers into quality jobs in these parts of the state, helping to boost local economic prosperity in rural areas.”

Former Governor Doug Ducey recognized the importance of the NAGJIN project and secured federal funding received by the state to enable Local First Arizona to implement the project in five rural counties.

Founded in 2003, Local First Arizona is a non-profit organization committed to community and economic development throughout Arizona and also serves as the state’s federally appointed Rural Development Council. NAGJN is funded by the federal government through grants awarded by the State of Arizona.

For questions about the project or how to join MCC as a partner, please email Dr. Kirk Lacy at KLacy@Mohave.edu.