Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development Archives

Thousands of unemployed Missourians sign up for free online classes

November 11, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

In July, the state partnered with a company called Coursera to begin offering free online courses to Missourians unemployed as a result of COVID-19. The state Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development tells Missourinet about 2,300 individuals have registered and about 471 people have completed at least one course so far.

Thousands of unemployed Missourians sign up for free online classes

Through the partnership, the students can choose from more than 3,800 free classes in business, technology, and data science. They can also earn professional certificates from leading companies like IBM and Google that are designed to prepare people for entry-level careers like IT.

“I truly believe education changes lives,” said Zora Mulligan, commissioner of higher education. “Coursera provides another avenue for Missourians to learn new, marketable skills and, even during this period of economic uncertainty, advance their careers.”

Anyone who was registered by the October 31 deadline has until the end of this year to complete courses for free.

Missouri continues to rank low in state funding for higher education

October 5, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri ranks toward the bottom in state funding for its colleges and universities. When state budget shaping time rolls around each year, funding Missouri higher education tends to be a struggle between some lawmakers and school leaders.

During an education budget subcommittee hearing, State Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development Commissioner Zora Mulligan says the funding levels have been an ongoing struggle. She says they impact the ability of institutions to be effective and competitive.

Missouri continues to rank low in state funding for higher education

“In terms of competing for students, that’s something that I often hear from the Budget Committee, you know ‘Why is Arkansas beating us in this game, competing for faculty and staff?’ We can’t pay as well as other states can when they have higher levels of support,” says Mulligan.

An organization at Illinois State University, called Grapevine, compiles an annual report about state tax support for higher education. It ranked Missouri 46th in the nation last year for spending about $163 per person in state funding.

State Representative Allen Andrews, R-Grant City, says he has had a growing concern about the struggles that Missouri colleges and universities have faced over the years.

“I have a lot of concern for the tremendous amount of deferred maintenance we need catch up on for our brick and mortar institutions,” says Andrews. “I have a concern of how they are going to be able to compete with a lot of the onlines out there and how they are going to continue to fight for their relevancy in the marketplace as education and how we obtain education continues to change.”

Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development Deputy Commissioner Leroy Wade says competition will continue to increase and institutions must find niches to maintain enrollment.

“I think the demand is still going to be out there,” says Wade. “The question is which institutions are going to make the right decisions and be able to serve those changing populations.”

He says Missouri has been experiencing a decline in the student population consisting of those of the traditional college age group, but Wade expects an increase in older students.

The department’s website says Missouri’s higher education system is comprised of 13 public four-year universities, 14 public two-year colleges, 24 independent colleges, 11 specialized/technical colleges, 17 theological institutions and more than 150 proprietary and private career schools.

Missouri’s Fast Track financial aid program is accepting new applications

September 29, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri is accepting applications for its Fast Track financial aid program. Fast Track is designed to help adults 25 years or older, or individuals under 25 who have not been enrolled in education in at least two years. The grants are awarded to eligible Missourians working toward a certificate, degree or industry-recognized credential for a job in high demand.

Missouri’s Fast Track financial aid program is accepting new applications

Some of the industries in greatest need include teaching, skilled trades, agriculture, allied health and computer science jobs. LeRoy Wade, deputy commissioner of operations for the state Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, tells Missourinet the top three programs students applied for the grant money last year were in allied health, teacher education and computer science.

“The number one program area by far is allied health and that wasn’t really a surprise before the pandemic but it’s certainly not one as we are in the middle of the pandemic,” he says. “At some point, as many as 50% of the applicants were coming in for allied health programs. And those are things like medical assisting, nurses, respiratory therapists.”

Fast Track launched last year as part of one of Gov. Mike Parson’s top priorities. In the program’s first year, nearly 200 students were helped with the average award amounting to $2,189.

Wade says the grants cover a broader list of program areas this year.

“We expanded the area in what I would call Public Safety. So we added programs for corrections officers. We added firefighters and things like that,” says Wade. “In teacher education, we expanded the while teacher education in some areas was available for, now we have additional ones.”

Fast Track was expanded this year to include not only nonprofit public colleges and universities but also private ones.

“It probably a little more than doubled the number of institutions,” says Wade. “There are about 40 or 45 private nonprofit institutions that participate in this program now. So, it’s a pretty substantial expansion. I think that’s really going to make a difference in terms of the reach of the program by being able to include them.”

Applicants must come from a maximum household income of $80,000 per year if filing taxes jointly or $40,000 annually for a single income household. After completing a program, those awarded a grant must work in Missouri for three calendar years or it turns into a loan with interest.

Missouri’s goal is to have 60% of working-age adults have a high-quality certificate or degree by 2025. So where is the state in meeting that goal?

“We’re in the range of somewhere between 53% and 55% right now,” says Wade. “We’re doing well. That’s up quite a bit when we started this and set this goal almost a decade ago now. We were in the mid to upper 30s. So, we’ve made quite a bit of progress over the last ten years.”

He attributes several initiatives within the department for making progress, including ways to retain students and additional supports to keep students on a path forward academically and financially.

“It looked pretty daunting when we started but we think we are maybe in striking distance of actually being able to reach that goal by 2025,” he says.

Students can access the application from the homepage of journeytocollege.mo.gov

Missouri lawmakers to discuss education supplemental budget request and COVID dollars (AUDIO)

September 28, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri lawmakers will hear testimony at the Capitol this week from state education officials about how COVID dollars are being spent, and to hear supplemental budget requests.

State Rep. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 17, 2020 (photo Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Subcommittee on Appropriations-Education Chairman State Rep. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, tells Missourinet that he hasn’t called the meeting over any major concerns.

“I think with all the things going on now, at least the members that transfer from this legislative session to the next legislative session, it would be good to be caught up to date so we can hit the ground running a little bit better in January when we show up at the Capitol,” Black says.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the state Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development will testify at the hearing, which is set for Thursday morning at 10 in Jefferson City. The two departments will be presenting their budget requests, at the hearing.

“Looking at departmental requests for the (2022 fiscal year) 22 budget as well as any supplemental requests, any kind of a request they have for changes, more money, less money, in the budget,” says Black.

The northwest Missouri Republican says the committee will also hear details about how COVID dollars are being spent by educators.

“A lot of that money, people may not realize, went directly into students’ hands,” Black says. “It passed through places of higher education to go to students. Some of it of course was used in the universities, colleges around the state.”

The Missouri House Subcommittee on Appropriations-Education has seven members. The ranking Democrat is State Rep. Ingrid Burnett, D-Kansas City.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, which was recorded on September 25, 2020:

Missouri unveils new statewide apprenticeship matching service (AUDIO)

September 7, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri officials have announced the start of a new statewide apprenticeship matching service, that helps employers with registered apprenticeship programs find aspiring apprentices.

Apprentices involved in the Work Able Missouri Registered Apprenticeship pilot program train at southwest Missouri’s Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in Lampe (photo courtesy of Becky Dunn from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development)

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced the service’s launch. Missouri’s workforce development director, Dr. Mardy Leathers, says this is key for businesses and workers.

“We finished the year last year second in the nation only behind California for new apprenticeships. That means new people starting apprenticeship programs and people completing those programs,” Leathers says.

Dr. Leathers says the site makes it easier for Missourians to take advantage of career opportunities that apprenticeships provide.

Officials say the launch of the new service will enhance Missouri’s leadership role in using apprenticeships to help train the state’s workforce.

“So while we continue to have over 12,000 registered apprentices in our skilled trades, we’re now adding three and four-thousand apprentices a year in areas like IT and education and advanced manufacturing,” says Dr. Leathers.

Leathers says health care is another key area for apprentices.

He also notes the service is helping both business and labor. It helps businesses find quality job candidates and helps workers find good-paying jobs. He also says that for apprentices who finish their program, 83 percent of them are still employed with the company that sponsored their apprenticeship, nine months after completion.

Dr. Leathers says apprenticeships are an efficient way to build a skilled workforce.

“For every dollar a business puts into training an apprentice, the return of productivity back that business is over $1.40,” Leathers says.

Governor Mike Parson signed an executive order in late 2019, creating an Office of Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning, within the state Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development.

“Through this office, we will continue working to increase apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities,” Governor Parson said at the November 2019 Columbia event. “We have some of the hardest-working, talented individuals in the nation right here in the state of Missouri.”

The governor says apprenticeships play a critical role in developing a workforce that’s prepared to meet future demands.

Click here to learn more about the new statewide apprenticeship matching service.

Dr. Leathers also says the Missouri Chamber Foundation has been awarded a $6 million federal grant, to create 5,300 tech industry apprenticeships.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full five-minute interview with Missouri workforce development director Dr. Mardy Leathers, which was recorded on September 4, 2020:

Eight Missouri jobs centers reopen to in-person help

July 3, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri’s 29 job centers temporarily closed due to coronavirus concerns are starting to reopen to in-person help. A press release from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development says the Branson job center in southwest Missouri opened Monday and Job Centers in Kennett, Park Hills and Poplar Bluff in southeast Missouri reopened with Office of Workforce Development (OWD) staff returning to in-person work on Wednesday.

Eight Missouri jobs centers reopen to in-person help

Job centers in Springfield, St. Charles and St. Louis County opened back up in June. The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) also began in-person services in June, by appointment only. It plans to open to walk-ins on July 6.

The release says the centers will follow social distancing and other health guidelines. They are critical sources for jobless people who don’t have access to computers and/or internet access.

The state’s other 21 job centers remain closed. They are expected to open up again in the coming weeks.

Since COVID-19 hit the state in mid-March, more than 686,000 unemployment claims have been filed. The most recent week’s claims, the week ending June 27, shows a slight increase of nearly 2,000 claims filed compared to the previous week.

Job seekers and displaced workers can still get help by phone at 1-888-728-5627, or online at jobs.mo.gov.

Kansas City area casino to lay off nearly 300 workers

June 17, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa in the Kansas City suburb of Riverside says it plans to lay off 289 workers beginning August 15. In a letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the casino says the workforce cutbacks will be permanent.

Kansas City area casino to lay off nearly 300 workers

Argosy cites the decision is a result of COVID-19 related circumstances.

“The impact on our business was not reasonably foreseeable until now. We simply could not foresee, that the initial closures of our properties, that were issued by one or two states for a limited period of time, ultimately spread throughout all states in which we operate and eventually be extended, interrupting almost all business and travel temporarily. These significant drags on our business will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Finally, we could not have anticipated when our properties would be allowed to reopen and how restrictive the new operating conditions would be, and the negative impact this would have on business volumes,” the letter says.

Any bumping rights – the right to avoid termination by displacing another worker – for affected union employees would be governed by the collective bargaining agreement. There are no bumping rights for non-union workers.

In mid-March, all 13 Missouri casinos were closed to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. They were allowed to reopen on June 1.

Two casinos to cut nearly 800 St. Louis area jobs

June 15, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

About 784 St. Louis area casino workers are permanently losing their jobs. STL Gaming Ventures has notified the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development that Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights is getting rid of 455 the positions beginning in mid-August. PNK River City says it plans to lay off 329 workers at River City Casino in St. Louis beginning around August 15.

The companies say the cutbacks are due to the unforeseen circumstances of the coronavirus.

“These significant drags on our business will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Finally, we could not have anticipated when our properties would be allowed to reopen and how restrictive the new operating conditions would be, and the negative impact this would have on business volumes. As a result of all of these unfortunate circumstances, we are notifying you of this decision as soon as we practically could, taking into account the great difficulties our entire industry faces in projecting future staffing needs under these unprecedented circumstances,” says STL Gaming Ventures in a letter to the state.

All 13 Missouri casinos were closed in mid-March to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. They were allowed to reopen on June 1.

Missouri aerospace company to furlough 60 workers

June 11, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

LMI Aerospace in St. Charles is furloughing 60 workers. In a notification to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the eastern Missouri company says the furloughs are expected to happen around June 22 and last for about one month.

The company provides parts for the commercial and defense aerospace industries. Its website shows locations in eastern Missouri’s Washington, southeast Missouri’s Cuba, and two sites in St. Charles.

Nearly 1,000 St. Louis area hotel workers losing their jobs next week

June 5, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

LMS Services Corporation has notified the state that it is putting about 979 St. Louis area hotel workers out of jobs on June 12. In a letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the company says it is permanently reducing its workforce due to the unforeseen consequences of the coronavirus.

Nearly 1,000 St. Louis area hotel workers losing their jobs next week

Workers affected include ones who work at:

Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis Airport – 19 jobs
Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis – Chesterfield – 16 jobs
Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis – O’Fallon – 14 jobs
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark and 360 Rooftop Bar – 300 jobs
Hilton St. Louis Airport Hotel – 130 jobs
Doubletree St. Louis at Westport in Maryland Heights – 60 jobs
Doubletree Hotel & Conference Center – Chesterfield – 80 jobs
Embassy Suites St. Louis Airport in Bridgeton – 33 jobs
Homewood Suites St. Louis Westport in Maryland Heights – 20 jobs
Sheraton Westport Hotel in Maryland Heights – 190 jobs
The Cheshire – 23 jobs
St. Louis Union Station Hotel – 300 jobs

Many of the types of hotel jobs impacted are unknown.