By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Last year, a number of local organizations formed the Workforce Connections group to improve hiring, retention, recruiting and workforce culture in the Great Bend area. The group consists of representatives from the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce, Great Bend Economic Development, Barton Community College, Kansas WorkforceONE and Great Bend High School.
Last year, a two-day
workforce summit was held to help employers and provide a job fair for
jobseekers.
Great Bend Chamber CEO Megan Barfield said the group is looking to improve the
event this year by potentially bringing TV host and spokesman Mike Rowe as a guest speaker.
"Could we bring in a high-caliber speaker to draw in more of those jobseekers?" said Barfield. "We know there is a workforce shortage. We're trying to get people's attention so they will come to these events. We would love to bring in someone like Mike Rowe."
Rowe hosted the show “Dirty Jobs” and has been a long-time advocate for
building the country’s workforce through skilled trades. Rowe's bio can be viewed at mikerowe.com.
Barfield said the local Workforce Connections group is now gauging the
community’s interest to bring Rowe to Great Bend as a speaker.
"Mike is that blue-collared guy," said Barfield. "He has his own foundation to give kids scholarships to pursue some of those jobs that aren't always super glamorous, those 'dirty jobs' if you will. A speaker of his caliber comes with a price tag. We need to know before we go down this road, do we have the support from our community?"
To see if there is financial support from businesses to help underwrite the cost
of bringing Rowe to Great Bend and if citizens would purchase a ticket to hear
Rowe speak, the Chamber has created a survey.
You can feel out the survey at greatbend.org.
If there is interest from the public, the Workforce Connections group is looking at April 2023 to host the event at the Great Bend Events Center.