07/23/2026
William Corbin's latest Director's Letter takes a close look at the variety of organizations invested in developing and advancing the local workforce.
Good help is hard to find, as they say.
But a good find, as we like to say, can provide great help.
When the Business Development Board of Martin County conducts Pulse meetings with local companies, we gain insights into their top priorities. Despite significant progress, workforce recruitment and development remain key pain points.
Fortunately, we have remarkable partners in the space to assist employers and employees.
CareerSource Research Coast helps employers by maximizing the reach of their posted job openings and providing localized data and research for a comprehensive approach to finding the best fit. Through on-the-job training grants, CareerSource secures reimbursement of anywhere from 50 to 100 percent of a qualified new hire’s wages, reducing the risks of onboarding less-experienced employees.
Career Connect Martin, a Stuart Martin Chamber of Commerce initiative, works similarly. Its trial employment program helps employers cover the cost of recruiting new talent with job-training salaries. The program also benefits employees with one-on-one coaching and step-up training, and serves job seekers through advocacy, career exploration and assistance navigating scholarships.
There’s truly a whole-of-community approach to this effort.
We also have established job-placement options such as Employment Simplified, Express Employment Professionals - Treasure Coast, Manpower South Florida and Spherion Staffing & Recruiting, among others.
The private sector, public sector, nonprofits and academia each play a part.
On the public side, Martin County Board of County Commissioners revitalized an empty building at Witham Field to create the 7,000-square-foot R.E.A.C.H. Center, which CareerSource Research Coast operates. The Economic Council of Martin County helped implement the center by incentivizing employers in industries such as aviation, marine and advanced manufacturing to participate in the training.
The involvement of various nonprofits meets people where they are—even if they’re not technically ready for employment. Youth programs, for example, take strategic steps to make sure they will be.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County offers workforce programs that enable kids as early as middle school to earn certifications and receive training in the culinary industry. Their other disciplines include drone certifications, coding, HVAC, electrical, construction and fashion design and more.
Martin County School District's MCSD College & Career Readiness technical education offers students job prep courses that emphasize key competencies while letting them explore a broad range of occupations. Courses include agri-technology, automotive technology, digital video production and various medical positions, among others.
Indian River State College, in addition to its Advanced Manufacturing program in Fort Pierce, prioritizes local job growth in the marine industry with its Marine Technology Training apprenticeships. The streamlined curriculum enables students to stack certifications for marine electrical, engines, rigging and more to meet market demands.
Chapman School of Seamanship’s career programs include, among others, certifications in Yamaha Marine Maintenance, training courses essential to working in the commercial and pleasure yachting sectors, and small craft surveying.
Project LIFT, which has four locations, two in Martin County, provides creative integration of hands-on vocational training alongside mental-health counseling. Young people ages 14 to 24 learn trades while licensed therapists treat any struggles they have with anxiety, depression, and addiction, to name a few.
When the 2026 Martin County Business Awards take place Oct. 26, we’ll bring back the award category we unveiled last year—Innovation in Workforce. Last year we honored Alice’s Restaurant—A Caring Café, which was acquired and renovated by ARC of the Treasure Coast. Thanks to funding from businesses and grants from foundations, individuals with autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities are enjoying the benefits of employment.
Good help is a lot less hard to find when an entire community is dedicated to making sure those who need it and those who seek it connect with each other.
