Reimagining work and career-ready talent

The following article was co-written by Dani Thompson, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and by Avril Watt, Johnson Crushers International, Inc. and Chair of the Education Committee.

Talent can be defined as “natural abilities or qualities.” But if you dive a little deeper you will find the Latin word “Talenta” means “a unit of weight or money.” This leads me to conclude that our talents have real, tangible value and how important it is that we cultivate them.

Avril Watt’s ponderings on talent resonate. The pandemic has posed new challenges to our efforts in support of nurturing and developing a talent pipeline, a workforce equipped and qualified for the fast-evolving needs of employers. With schools across the state shifting to remote learning, we’re having to reimagine how we deliver on sufficient career and technical education to students. 

Josh Lehner, with the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, wrote an article recently where he touched on the importance of talent migration throughout Oregon, and how broadband access, an issue that Oregonians have been dealing for years, is even more crucial in these times. 

Lehner notes that for Oregon, “one of our comparative advantages remains the state’s ability to attract and retain talent.” This comparative advantage, and that of being able to cultivate talent right here in our community, will remain imperative as businesses show resiliency and recovery through the pandemic and look to hire a qualified workforce.

Access to broadband, or the insufficiency and lack thereof, is a challenge that has been heightened by the shift to remote work and online education during the pandemic. As Lehner sees it, “broadband is a critical component for a number of reasons. On the economic side, having residents better connected to labor markets to search for jobs, and interact with co-workers and clients is important. It’s not just the availability of a broadband connection, but really about the speed, reliability and price of that connection. We know once you get outside of the major cities in the Willamette Valley, the speed and reliability can fall off, impacting potential growth opportunities.

However, broadband access also matters considerably for social connections, and increasingly for education needs as students do more online learning due to the pandemic. We also know there are a lot of inequities regarding access to technology. This goes for urban vs rural, young vs old, rich vs poor, and white vs Black. How all of those factors interact matters considerably for social, economic, and education connections in society.”

The challenges that remote learning, broadband access, and limited migration of talent through our area due to the pandemic shines a light on why cultivating talent within our own communities is more important now than it ever has been. 

The Springfield Chamber’s #WorkReady program is committed to helping students of all ages discover, embrace and develop their talents as they bring value to the individual and to the larger community. “Cultivate Talent” is not just a phrase, it’s a Core Value of the Chamber and we will continue to partner with our School District and City in this important effort.

Thomas A. Edison once said, “If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” Our hope is that we can help students see what they are capable of and engage their natural abilities or qualities to have a positive impact not just locally, but on global scale.

If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.

– Thomas A. Edison

As we begin a new school year, the challenges before us all are new, but I believe we will see talents discovered and developed in unique and unexpected ways as we journey through this year together.

We must continue to work towards an environment that will assist in creating a strong, talented, and diverse workforce of which our entire community will benefit from. This remains a core value of the Chamber and we hope that it will remain a core value of our beloved community as well.