The Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and its local business partners are gearing up for the busy summer season with several workforce development initiatives.

“Workforce continues to be the number one challenge in our businesses in the valley today,” said Erica Wirtala with the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors at a chamber luncheon on March 15.

The 2022 Northwest Montana Job & Opportunity Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 14 with a focus on encouraging nontraditional workers to get involved in the local workforce.

This year’s fair will be divided into blocks geared toward specific populations. High school students are encouraged to participate in career exploration from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Veterans and seniors are invited for the 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. hour, and the fair is open to the general public from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The chamber is also offering multiple new opportunities through its WorkForce Flathead program.

One new initiative debuting this year is the WorkForce Flathead Summer Jobs Program. Through this program, businesses provide a summer job lasting a minimum of six weeks for a student ages 16-19. Student participants commit to investing their time in pre-employment essential skills training and weekly mentoring provided through the framework of the program.

The summer jobs program is looking to place 32 Flathead Valley students with summer positions.

Another addition to WorkForce Flathead is the initiative’s new website. The digital portal provides resources for students, job seekers, educators and employers about job opportunities and career development.

The website has been multiple years in the making, according to Jenn Cronk, Workforce and Special Initiatives Director with the Kalispell Chamber.

“This is something that has been ongoing for a number of years and today is stronger than ever,” Cronk said at the chamber event on March 15.

The Chamber also recently relaunched its Manufacturing Alliance initiative, which seeks to build more awareness of manufacturing careers in the valley. Cronk is participating in a Talent Pipeline Management component of the manufacturing alliance to build bridges between students and manufacturing fields.

The new WorkForce Flathead website can be accessed online at https://workforceflathead.com.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.