Career Training, Conference Center Coming
Sep 18, 2024 01:11PM ● By Angela Underwood
YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Research proves that a regional skilled workforce can benefit both a laborer and the city where they live.
The new Sutter County Schools Career Training and Conference Center (SCTCC), located at the southeast corner of Harter Parkway and an extension of Spirit Way, plans to make that happen.
Based on a regional survey conducted for the 2020-2025 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Yuba-Sutter region, City Manager Diana Langley said talent supply and education were identified as a focus area, with career/job opportunities and unskilled labor force identified as two of the top three competitive weaknesses.
Langley cited the survey, reporting that “the region can create a trained and skilled workforce by aligning skill sets to the needs of regional industry sectors through vocation education program expansion, supporting the work of educational institutions and employment training opportunities.”
Talking about training and education is one thing, but building a facility is another. That is where the Yuba City Planning Commission comes in.
After the Aug. 28 commission meeting, Deputy Director of Development Services Doug Libby said the Sutter County Schools Career Training and Conference Center plans must be presented to the city council on Sept. 17.
“The city zoning code requires projects larger than 35,000 square feet to be approved by the Planning Commission,” Libby said of the 38,000 square foot property and its zoning requirements. “Rezone applications must be considered by the city council.”
According to Libby, plans must be made available to the public at the Sept. 17 meeting. Langley said with 21 classrooms and the ability to serve 305 students, the proposed Sutter County Schools Career Training and Conference Center will help to address the need to create a trained and skilled workforce.
A staff report states up to 60 staff members will serve up to 305 students.
“There will be 171 student and teacher parking spaces and appropriate landscaping,” the staff report reads.
The hope is that all the education provided will inevitably pay off here. The city manager said that as graduates are trained in specific skills, they will help fill skill gaps in the community and help local businesses operate more efficiently and competitively.
“A well-trained workforce can also attract new businesses to the community,” Langley said, adding with limited conference center facilities in Yuba City, the proposed conference center is a much-needed amenity.
Langley added that the opportunities the Sutter County Schools Career Training and Conference Center brings to the Yuba City table serve many.
“The career training and conference center will enhance the culture of the community by providing residents with the skills needed for better job opportunities, boosting local employment rates, making lifelong learning opportunities accessible to everyone, serving as a community hub, and meeting the evolving needs of the job market,” the city manager said.