|
 In
addition, Neosho County Community College (NCCC) has
developed an employment skills program, called Partners in
Change through the guidance and direction of local business
leaders, the City of Chanute and State agencies to assist
local business with their employment and training needs.
Partners in Change is a series of courses designed to
provide individuals the basic skills required to become
successful workforce employees. Since its inception in
1999, this program has graduated over 300 students.
Kansas Industrial Training
and Retraining Programs
The State of Kansas provides workforce
training grant assistance through the Kansas Industrial
Training (KIT), Kansas Industrial Retraining (KIR) and the
IMPACT program (mentioned previously). These programs
provide funds for the specialized training and retraining
needs of new, expanding and restructuring industries. Most
of the negotiated cost of training is borne by the Kansas
Department of Commerce. The program is available and
administered by Neosho County Community College, who with
the City of Chanute, assists in making application to these
programs on the businesses’ behalf.
NCCC WorkKeys Employment
Compatibility Program
NCCC’s WorkKeys program is designed to
utilize a “profiling" system to analyze job skills required
by participating industry. Testing evaluates the performance
of new or existing employees on specified job skills or
competency levels. The test results are then used to
determine where within the company’s operation these new or
existing employees would best match. This system can also be
used as a pre-screening employment process to see if
applicants meet the minimum skill standards. If training is
needed, NCCC can provide customized training to elevate the
skill levels of employees.
Workforce Statistics
Chanute has a viable workforce accessible to
accommodate a business with its immediate and long-term
labor requirements. Centered between the four counties of
Neosho, Allen, Wilson and Woodson Counties, Chanute draws
workers to its broad base of commercial and industrial
businesses from over a 45-mile radius on a daily basis.
Chanute businesses’ employ workers from an active workforce
of nearly 21,500 people and a population base of close to
45,500 people.
|
County |
Population |
Workforce |
Unemployment
Rate |
|
Allen |
14,385 |
6,773 |
4.9% |
|
Neosho |
16,997 |
8,344 |
4.7% |
|
Wilson |
10,332 |
4,867 |
4.5% |
|
Woodson |
3,788 |
1,609 |
5.1% |
|
Total |
45,502 |
21,593 |
|
| |
|
Source: Kansas Department of Labor -
January 2006
|
Local Industrial Businesses with Number of Employees
|
Business |
|
Business Type |
Employees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advanced
System Homes |
|
Pre-fabricated Homes |
40 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ash
Grove Cement |
* |
Cement |
144 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chanute
Manufacturing/
Chanute
Fin Tube |
* |
Power
Generation Systems |
214 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Custom
Campers |
|
Recreational Vehicles |
199 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Econo
Machine |
|
Machine
Shop |
24 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Everbrite Electronics |
|
Electronic Signs and Displays |
66 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
HDB
Industries |
* |
Ducting |
106 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi-Lo
Industries |
|
Cabinets
and Furniture |
325 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kustom
Signal |
|
Electronic Safety Equipment |
195 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Magna
Tech, Inc. |
|
Towing
Accessories |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Midwest
Cabinet |
|
Display
Systems |
25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nu-Wa
Industries |
|
Recreational Vehicles |
271 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Optimized Process Furnaces |
|
Engineers |
15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PC
Boards, Inc. |
|
Printed
Circuit Boards |
70 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quest |
|
Natural Gas Exploration & Production |
190 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Young’s
Welding/
Rolco
Trailer |
|
Steel
Fabrication |
112 |
|
|
|
* Denotes Union Workforce |
|
