Local First AZ and Pipeline AZ are pooling their resources to optimize how rural job seekers and businesses in Pinal County connect in an ever-evolving, competitive, and fast-paced job market. The rural employment portal found at localfirstaz.pipelineaz.com provides one centralized platform for rural career exploration, posting available jobs, and one-on-one career consultation with intent to keep rural talent working in or near their hometowns.
Over the next 10 years, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) estimates that Pinal County will see between 1,800 and 3,400 new jobs each year as well as a 50% population growth. These numbers mean that an estimated 4,850 of Pinal County residents may find new employment in their local region instead of relocating to Maricopa County.
LocalFirstAz.PipelineAz.com is working to connect these workers to jobs that match their skills and interests.
“Pipeline AZ is a rural workforce initiative in Pinal County that Local First Arizona is launching to showcase education and career opportunities that exist locally,” said Lexie Krechel, rural community development manager at Local First Arizona. “Being from a rural community, I know firsthand that often it doesn’t seem possible to get the required training and find a career that you qualify for or are interested in locally. Our goal is to break that cycle. We want those seeking employment in Pinal County to know that local opportunities do exist. Through a quick skills assessment on Pipeline AZ that links candidates directly to local training and career pathways, we are able to show job seekers the track to attain their career goals in their hometown.”
Registration is easy for job seekers and employers. For those seeking jobs, the four step process includes creating their candidate profile, taking a skills assessment, and being matched to jobs in Pinal County where their skills can be applied. A few examples of the current employers with listings available include:
AIRES, LLC
• Caregiver/Direct Support Professional
• Schuff Steel Company
• Production Helper (2)
• Welder (2)
• Fitter (2)
San Manuel Holdings
• Cultivation Technician
• Security Guard
Capstone Mining Corp.
• Mine Production Tech
• Mine Maintenance Tech / Heavy Duty Mechanic
• Processing Electrician
• Processing Maintenance
• Processing Boilermaker
• Processing Pipefitter
• Processing Production Tech – Entry Level Worker
Unlike other career services or workforce development platforms, Pipeline AZ will serve the entire workforce ecosystem simultaneously: rural businesses, job seekers, educators and workforce organizations.
ABOUT LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA
Founded in 2003 by Kimber Lanning, Local First Arizona (LFA) is a community and economic development organization working to strengthen local economies. LFA educates consumers about the interconnectedness of the economy, trains small businesses to be more effective and more competitive, helps larger Arizona businesses and institutions tell their story as champions of Arizona, and creates programs and events that make it fun and easy to discover local businesses and buy local. Visit www.localfirstaz.com for more information and a directory of more than 3,000 locally owned businesses.
ABOUT PIPELINE AZ
Pipeline AZ is a career development and exploration platform designed for the Arizona community, to create more pathways to in-demand careers by connecting the dots between industry and education.
Pipeline AZ uses skills mapping technology to help job seekers begin a new path, level-up in their existing careers, explore work or work-based learning opportunities, and discover new passions that change their career trajectory. For employers, Pipeline AZ is a valuable recruiting tool that features high-quality candidate matching, free job posting, and white-glove concierge case management service to assemble candidate pools with the skills needed to build their talent pipeline.