To the editor:
I am not a Greene County native, but after a move from NC five years ago, I have chosen to make Jefferson my home. I have a job that allows me to live anywhere in the state, but I chose Jefferson. I believe that this a community with an incredible opportunity to grow and become a vibrant leader, showing how a small community can retain its values and charm while still moving forward.
There are many reasons why I will be voting yes to the bond referendum on April 3rd, but the most pressing issue to me is the career academy. It will give the children of our community an opportunity to leave high school with skills that directly correlate into a career, as well as giving potential employers a reason to choose Greene County for their business.
For my job, I visit manufacturing companies all over Iowa to discuss their safety and growth, and the biggest obstacle I see consistently is the lack of a skilled workforce in manufacturing and the trades. This can be crippling and has caused many businesses to sell out or shut their doors, leaving communities that rely on those businesses to dry up and become ghost towns.
Businesses that try and train new employees without experience find that it is costly to their production, takes trainers away from work, and comes with very high turnover as newly trained staff realizes that this isn’t the right career for them. This directly affects not only their bottom line, but employee safety and the quality of product they are able to produce.
I want to see Greene County become a solution to this problem. I want us to become the face of economic development for the future of western Iowa, and that is why I will be voting “yes” on April 3rd.
Susan Sanders, Jefferson
