BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A county job development authority in the North Dakota oil patch has launched a unique initiative aimed at building a regional workforce less susceptible to the boom-and-bust cycle of the oil industry.
The McKenzie County Skills Initiative brings together job training programs, classes and services offered by the University of Mary, Williston State College, and the state-sponsored TrainND program and North Dakota Small Business Development Center. They're centralized at the new $57 million community center in Watford City.
Organizers say the initiative could help job-seekers with everything from computer skills to truck driving skills.
The initiative comes at a time when energy production is increasing after a recent slowdown.
But Job Service says more than one-third of the 3,000 job openings in northwestern North Dakota aren't in the oil fields.