Editor’s note: This is part three of a three-part series looking at local economic development, challenges Evanston and Uinta County face and what local leaders are doing to help attract outside businesses while supporting businesses already in the area.

EVANSTON — Wyoming communities need to do better in the education department. 

The Uinta County Economic Development Commission got an update on the work of Wyoming’s ENDOW Council during its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 28, and education was a primary focus of that update. 

The ENDOW (Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming) initiative was announced by Gov. Matt Mead in late 2016, and the members of the council have been developing recommendations to boost Wyoming’s economy over the past year.

ENDOW council member Steve Russell — who was president and CEO of local operation SGL Carbon for a decade and is now actively involved with the transition of operation of that facility to Mitsubishi — shared many of the council’s recommendations with the Economic Development Commission. 

Russell said the primary goal of ENDOW is to diversify Wyoming’s economy over the next 20 years, so the state is not totally reliant on the extractive industries. The group is to present a high-level strategic plan to Mead by Aug. 1, but has already released a report containing numerous recommendations. 

Russell said they have spent most of the last year looking at barriers to economic growth, including shortcomings in infrastructure, broadband internet access, health care, air service and education. Although Russell touched on all of these barriers, education was the area he stressed most strongly. 

Part of the challenge of enticing business and industry to Wyoming is the availability of a population that can supply needed employees with the required skill-set. This is where Russell said Wyoming needs to do better.

“Utah has a nicely trained workforce,” he said. Russell clarified what he means by education, which is not necessarily college.

“I’m not talking about a four-year degree,” he said, “I’m talking about tech certificates. There are three million unfilled jobs in the U.S. in the tech field because this is lacking everywhere.” 

Russell said he believes young people should be steered toward tech programs at an early age as an alternative to a two- or four-year college, instead of “drilling it into their heads they need to have a four-year degree.”

“We’re not training people for the jobs we do have,” he said. 

Russell said he believes it would be helpful for high schools to allow work internships as an alternative to senior projects to help young people gain hands-on skills and experience. He also emphasized the so-called “soft skills,” like communication and interpersonal skills, that are often lacking in the workforce. 

“We’re lacking human skills,” he said, “we’re not lacking brainpower.” 

Evanston resident Shelly Horne asked Russell if anyone was trying to recruit technical schools to Wyoming, to which Russell responded, “We haven’t gotten that far yet.” 

So focused was Russell on education that when Economic Development Commission member and Evanston City Clerk Amy Grenfell asked for his list of top three to five things that local communities could be doing to implement ENDOW recommendations, he stressed only the education piece.

“Get involved in education and training people for jobs,” he said. 

For Evanston and Uinta County, technical programs would likely be coordinated and developed with Uinta BOCES No. 1, which has been negatively impacted by the recent economic downturn. 

BOCES Executive Director Mike Williams said the education center has had a nearly 60-percent reduction in revenue since 2010, which has resulted in staffing losses through attrition and forced layoffs in recent years. 

Twice in the past 10-15 years the option of an increased two mill school district levy for the purposes of providing technical training programs for adults has been brought before Uinta County voters, and both times that option has been defeated in the voting booths. Elsewhere in Wyoming, communities have been able to lure new businesses and economic development that is at least partially attributable to a trained workforce as the result of a proactive long-term investment in technical programs. 

In spite of recent economic challenges, Williams said BOCES has already been working toward developing programs aligned toward work-ready employees due to federal program requirements and in response to area employer needs, including a welding program done in conjunction with Western Wyoming Community College. 

Williams said the Uinta County Workforce Advisory Group has also been looking at possible programs that focus on providing training for careers in healthcare, and BOCES has always been responsive to the needs of local employers. 

A recent pilot project launched at Lyman High School in January was touted by Williams as something he is hopeful will be successful and can then be replicated. The program matches high school students with real-world business projects and is modeled off a similar program that has been implemented in Park City, Utah. Williams said the kids involved in the Park City program are doing great things, and “those kids aren’t any more talented than the ones we have right here.” 

Coinciding with Russell’s call for internships instead of senior projects, Williams said he’s also been involved with discussions with Evanston High School Principal Merle Lester about implementing such a program. 

When it comes to luring businesses to the area, Williams said he had recently attended an economic summit in Utah, and pointed out that, while the Wasatch Front is booming, rural communities in Utah are struggling as well.

“We’re in competition with every other small town in the country,” he said. 

While revenues are definitely down, Williams said BOCES has not had to cut any programs, although some have been reduced. For example, industrial safety training courses are now taught on a part-time basis, although Williams said community demand for those courses has decreased in recent years as well. 

Williams described the situation at BOCES as, “We’re not thriving, but we’re OK.” He said they were able to build up reserves several years ago when the economic picture was much rosier and those have helped weather the current storm. The reserves at present are not “dangerously low,” he said, and they will have a better picture of the future budget as existing mill levy numbers come in and of future program needs as the ENDOW details come into clearer focus. 

Declining revenues and staffing cuts have been a strain on the entire staff, said Williams. “We’re down at least two people from optimal staffing,” he said. “But we’re going to have to get used to the new normal. I’m the eternal optimist and I do think it will get better, but I don’t think it will get back to what it was, at least not any time in the near future.”