Walsh County Career Builders Program Receiving State Recognition
The Walsh County Career Builders (WCCB) program continues to make strong workforce gains. Those gains are being recognized statewide and recently resulted in a special invitation.
On Sept. 22, WCCB board chairman Mike Hanson, who is director of North Valley Career and Technology Center, and Stacie Sevigny, who is the WCCB Secretary/Treasurer and Walsh County JDA director, were asked to speak about Walsh County’s program at UND. Around the table were members of the ND Legislative Council’s Higher Education Institutions Committee, comprised of ND senators and representatives, and citizen members.
The meeting at UND included presentations from state colleges and universities, and representatives of the ND University System regarding dual credit, the North Dakota Career Builders program, academic and career and technical education programs, and higher education trends.
Brenda Zastoupil, Director of Financial Aid at the ND University System, extended an invitation to Hanson and Sevigny to attend the Committee meeting to provide a “boots on the ground” perspective about how the Career Builders program is working here. Specifically, committee members asked questions regarding how Walsh County has catapulted itself as the leading ND rural county in terms of job placements since the inception of the Career Builders program.
As of June, Walsh County has 53 job placements from 1 Walsh County employer, who have utilized the program, behind only the urban counties of Cass, Burleigh, and Grand Forks Counties.
Hanson and Sevigny said the key to the program’s success is the partnership of the Walsh County funding partners: the Walsh County JDA, City of Grafton Economic Development Committee, and the City of Park River Community Development Corporation. Additionally, the participation from Walsh County employers has been vital to the program’s success.
What is WCCB?
The WCCB program provides matching funds for scholarship and student loan repayment programs to eligible Walsh County participants. The contributions reduce the amount employers are required to match to secure ND Career Builders program dollars. The program has become an important workforce recruitment and retention tool.
Funding support for the WCCB is provided by the JDA, Grafton Economic Development Committee and the Park River Community Development Corporation.
As of September, the Walsh County program statistics since its inception in the fall of 2022 include:
- 58 job placements at 17 participating employers
- 53 student loan repayment program participants
- 5 scholarship program participants
- 23 have completed the 3-year commitment to the sponsoring employer with an 91% retention rate
- Participants by workforce sector include:
-
- 21: Education
-
- 21: Healthcare
The map provided by the ND University System shows how counties have utilized the ND Career Builders program for recruitment and retention of skilled workforce. Walsh County is ND’s leading rural county as far job placements, behind only the urban counties of Cass, Burleigh, and Grand Forks Counties. The Walsh County program has a 91% retention rate.
- 21: Healthcare
-
- 6: Skilled Trades
-
- 3 each: Financial and Veterinary
-
- 2: Social Services
-
- 1 each: Information Technology and Sales
- $944,804 Invested and Committed by Partners through Q3 2029:
-
- 50%: State of ND
-
- 25% Walsh County Employers
-
- 13%: Walsh County JDA
-
- 7%: Grafton Economic Development Committee
-
- 5%: Park River Community Development Corporation
