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Other Economic Development

Goal: Working together to maintain and increase local, good-paying jobs, grow the region's population and improve the livability of our communities.

Industry Overview

Southeast Alaska is a place like no other. To live, work, and thrive here means facing innumerable challenges but reaping endless rewards. The Southeast Conference works towards a vision of Southeast where local businesses thrive, job opportunities are abundant, and housing becomes affordable and accessible. 

SEC has outlined objectives outside of its focus industries that aim to advance the general prosperity and livability of Southeast Alaska. Its greatest focus is on supporting sustainable development of housing to retain workforces, improve existing housing quality, and support the aging population. Another main objective is to increase childcare capacity by addressing current shortages in supply, affordability, and quality of childcare. 

Other objectives: 

  • Infrastructure maintenance
  • Education career pathways to meet employer needs for a skilled workforce
  • Workforce attraction and retention
  • Support for Coast Guard vessel homeporting opportunities
  • Support for disaster preparation and relief efforts
  • Support regional solid waste management solutions
  • Healthcare workforce recruitment 
  • Improve communications access in Southeast Alaska
  • Promote regionally-manufactured local product
  • Strengthen food security through regional food systems
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Other Economic Development Objectives

Our strategic goals across Southeast Alaska’s major industries are outlined in our Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy report.  This document presents specific Objectives to support the economic growth and sustainability of our region, with some “Priority Objectives” identified as having the greatest urgency or beneficial impact.

The Objectives identified for Other Economic Development are:

Support the sustainable development of housing. Insufficient housing stock, deteriorating housing quality, and high housing costs are a deterrent to economic growth, making it difficult to attract or retain employees in the region. Develop new housing stock, improve existing housing quality, build targeted housing for an aging population, and increase the diversity of housing choices in the region.
Increase childcare capacity in Southeast Alaska. Expanding childcare capacity in Southeast Alaska is essential for fostering a vibrant economy and attracting younger workers and families to the region. Addressing the current shortages in supply, affordability, and quality of childcare services requires a multifaceted approach prioritizing workforce development, sustainable funding, and operational support.
Maintaining existing infrastructure, better utilized underutilized State property and develop new critical infrastructure - especially marine infrastructure- within communities. Increase communication between State and community leaders to address deferred maintenance for facilities. Evaluation Co-op or collaborative opportunities for equipment sharing to reduce the cost of building or maintaining facilities. Develop post-pandemic project completion in next economic evaluation for better understanding of current actual construction costs. Maximizing funding opportunities and funding of multi-use, year-round infrastructure that can support economic diversification and bring new money into the state.
Quality education and workforce training is critical to the development of a strong economy. Southeast Alaska has an insufficient pool of skilled employees with professional and technical degrees to support the business sector. Workforce development and support of career and technical education are included throughout this plan in the maritime, health care, carpentry, masonry, electrical, HVAC, mining, seafood, and timber sections. In addition to these efforts, support continued development of K-12 and postsecondary education opportunities and pathways in the region. Partner with high schools in Southeast for new or expanded double credit opportunities. Retain students in state after graduation. Develop short courses to update skills in partnership with UAS and other post-secondary education institutions. Increase arts, cultural studies, and local language courses. Ensure UAS has certifications to meet local workforce needs. Create mentorships. Develop and retain top talent. Support scholarships and grants from municipalities for UAS.
Southeast Alaska has slowly but consistently been losing its workforce-age population. Support economic, cultural and quality of life projects that make Southeast a desirable place to live, work and plan. Help connect Alaskan college graduates with local, living wage jobs. Support housing initiatives to ensure communities have starter or attainable-priced homes for workforce age individuals.
Maintain and grow the Coast Guard presence in the region. The USCG is working to upgrade vessels as well as grow their northern-oriented fleet such as ice breakers. To support these new vessels, mooring and uplands space need updating. Support the infrastructure development needed to maintain and or grow USCG presence. Work with Federal representatives to forecast future force levels within communities. Identify challenges in supporting USCG growth and work to mitigate impacts. Support creating opportunities for ships and crews to overnight in the many ports across Alaska, allowing service members to better relate to the needs of the individual community and foster good working relationships with the local port authorities.
After devastating landslides in recent years, disaster preparation efforts should be a cornerstone of planning procedures going forward. Develop appropriate planning procedures to mitigate natural disasters in the region. Increase resources for data collection and improve available basic local data for use in disaster preparation and response. Compile information and data of events and area terrain for better understanding and mapping. Partner with agencies to collect appropriate data to improve alert systems and other disaster response. Collect disaster impact information to improve understanding of direct and indirect effects of natural disasters on a community. Advocate for disaster relief resources and funding for areas affected by natural disasters. Support the development of a disaster relief task force in the wake of events. Protect the economic vitality of areas affected by natural disasters. Ensure the safety of the residents in Southeast communities through robust disaster alert systems. Prepare disaster mitigation systems. Increase collaboration and communication amongst organizations working to respond and prepare. Support implementing FEMA training throughout the state on an annual basis, prior to disasters.
Develop best practices solutions handling MSW, including baling and compacting solid waste for shipping. Increase utilization of regional recycling and composting programs and increase use of commercial burn units. Encourage businesses and entrepreneurs to find ways to reuse solid waste materials to keep them out of landfills or from being shipped out for final disposal. Raise awareness of upcycling opportunities with community art projects and outreach to the schools with creative competitions. Communicate the importance of waste sorting to citizens in communities that ship their waste. Procure equipment to manage increasing amounts of tires. Create partnerships to share equipment, such as balers and shredders, across communities in the region. Encourage collaboration and partnerships between communities and organizations to develop collective, regional programs and solutions.
There are too few Alaska healthcare workers to fill the current demand for services in Southeast Alaska, and job vacancies in the industry are increasing. Regional medical facilities must compete statewide and nationally for high demand healthcare workers. Look for creative solutions in finding different ways to recruit new talent. Continue recruitment partnerships with the university system, job center network, Alaska Department of Labor, and Alaska Workforce Investment Board. Expand local university programs to meet regional needs. Work to eliminate barriers to recruitment and retention through strategies that include establishing license reciprocity with other states. Work to retain Alaska-trained healthcare students. Increase health care training and support dual credits for high school and college training credits within the region and state. Reduce barriers to hiring outside workers. Improve recruitment strategies.
Support expansion of high-speed internet and cellular network coverage to make the region more competitive and provide more access to education. Broadband access fosters business development and expansion, telecommuting and micro-businesses, and increased education opportunities across Southeast Alaska. Remote work accessibility has become increasingly utilized in the growing world economy. Prioritize development of fiber, satellite, and other technologies that provide remote internet access in the region with a focus on businesses that have a duty to serve and requirement to provide services to Alaskan communities. Communications and reliable multi-point-of-failure pathways are attractive to investors, businesses, and families looking to stay connected. Equitable access to educational opportunities offer local, improved education outcomes and workforce development. Look at a regional solution that maximizes the use of IIJA funding to benefit all communities and expand broadband infrastructure in Southeast Alaska to achieve 2.5GHz.
Promote regionally-manufactured, local products (art, seafood, beer, wood, ships, handicrafts, etc.). Develop marketing materials to market Southeast Alaska as a whole. Grow the presence, public awareness and use of programs intended to identify locally-crafted goods to shoppers and visitors. Partner with education institutes to establish professional development classes that can teach entrepreneurs how to connect to consumers and sustainable business development. Teach creators how to grow and support their business operations to reach markets, especially online. Develop opportunities within communities to share knowledge, and collectively achieve economies of scale to expand selling avenues. Explore new market opportunities and form partnerships that are targeted for locally available markets and visitors. Look for ways to reduce costs to small businesses such as through cooperative purchasing and subsidy programs.
Recognize the critical role local food harvesting practices have in household food security for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of Southeast Alaska. Involve tribal leadership and community perspectives in conversations and decisions around regional food security and food sovereignty. Implement policies that provide economic incentives for prioritizing and localizing the Southeast food system at the regional and community levels. Build educational opportunities in schools and in communities for respectful wild food harvest skills learning based on shared values established by longtime Southeast Alaska harvesters.