A city gets its muscle from its regional workforce. From businesses in St. Joseph to the ones that are just down the highway, the regional workforce determines the economic growth and prosperity of a region. Within St. Joseph, multiple businesses are expanding and hiring more employees. In nearby Kansas City, other companies are also prospering and offering employment opportunities to those in the region.
St. Joseph’s regional workforce is rich in diversity. The city lies in a region that is a mix of Kansas City metropolitan and rural communities. Within St. Joseph, over 10,000 employees work in the manufacturing industry. Almost 7,000 work in the Life Sciences and Healthcare industry. Both industries are prospering to the point of needing expansions in order to keep serving the demands of their customers.
St. Joseph’s regional workforce is composed of a wide variety of workers from farmers who work the open land to scientists who work in sterile contained atmospheres. In order for a region to prosper, its regional workforce must keep up with the times in their field. As market interests change and technology advances, employees must be able to understand new trends and use new innovations in order to reach their customers.
This region provides diverse opportunities for its professionals to receive training. St. Joseph offers its regional workforce educational opportunities at places like Missouri Western State University, Vatterott Community College, Hillyard 
Technical Center, and other training facilities. Surrounding St. Joseph within an hour’s drive, are other major educational facilities like Northwest Missouri State University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
It’s no wonder that the St. Joseph School District is excited about its two new elementary schools that will open in 2014. Not only does it show growth in St. Joseph, but it offers children in the school district updated learning atmospheres filled with new technology. They are the next generation of the region’s workforce that will help St. Joseph prosper.
In May 2013, Triumph Foods announced that they were planning a $7.5 million expansion for their pork processing plant. They projected that their Triumph workforce would grow to almost 3,000 people. Companies in the Life Sciences and Healthcare industry, like Purina and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, also recently announced major expansions and growth.
St. Joseph’s regional workforce also benefits from the proximity of Kansas City. Only an hour away from St. Joseph, a General Motors Corp. plant is rising from the ashes in Kansas City, Kansas. The regional workforce benefits from the hundreds of millions of dollars that are invested into improving the Fairfax Assembly and Stamping Plant. In nearby Claycomo, MO the Ford Motor Co. is also recovering with a $1.1 billion growth investment.
From strong and determined farmers to technical researchers, St. Joseph’s regional workforce offers the diversity and professionalism needed to lead St. Joseph to a bright future.
