Workforce Connection is packing up and moving from Bronson to Chiefland, and one business owner is hopeful the agency will help applicants get the jobs that are already there.
Kenny Simple is the owner of Green South Equipment, a farm equipment company in Chiefland, and he says his business has had open jobs for three years. Gainesville and Ocala may have better employment statistics, but Kenny Simple says Chiefland is not short on jobs.
Laura Byrnes from Workforce Connection says Levy County is "in sharp contrast to, say, Gainesville, which has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state and is one of the fastest job-growth areas in the state."
Again, Kenny Simple says jobs are not Chiefland's problem: "There’s more people seeking jobs but the quality of people that we’re looking for doesn’t seem to be there. As far as the one’s that have good jobs, they’re still there. Right now we’re looking for more qualified help than what’s available to us.”
Most people that apply for jobs with Simple's company have too little experience, he says. However, he's hopeful Workforce Connection's new campus in Chiefland will equip more prospective employees with the discipline, work ethic and training they need for him to give them a chance.