Kodiak Workforce Forum to Connect Industry, Education, and Opportunity
Kodiak Economic Development Corporation will host the Kodiak Workforce Forum: Supporting Today’s Industry, Building Tomorrow’s Opportunities on April 28 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Kodiak Marketplace.
This forum brings together employers, educators, workforce partners, and community organizations to focus on a shared goal, aligning workforce development efforts with the needs of Kodiak’s industries today, while building clear and accessible career pathways for the future.
As Kodiak continues to evolve through both established industries and emerging opportunities, there is a growing need to connect what is happening in the workforce with what is being taught in classrooms, training programs, and certification pathways. This forum is designed to support that connection, while also creating space for employers and partners to share what is working, what is needed, and where alignment can improve.
This forum is designed to connect what employers need today with the pathways being built for tomorrow.
This event reflects one of KEDC’s key strategic priorities, Career Connections, which focuses on connecting education, employers, and emerging talent through career exploration, training, and mentorship opportunities.
This work is not a single event or initiative. It is part of a longer-term effort we are committed to in order to strengthen Kodiak’s workforce by supporting students, jobseekers, and employers through better coordination, clearer pathways, and stronger partnerships.
Connecting Industry and Opportunity
The forum is structured around three focused segments, each designed to build on the next and contribute to a more complete understanding of Kodiak’s workforce landscape.
#1. Mariculture and Emerging Opportunities
The first segment will provide updates on mariculture and related economic activity, with a focus on what this work means for Kodiak’s workforce now and in the future.
Dan Lesh, Deputy Director of Southeast Conference, will share a statewide perspective on mariculture development in Alaska. Southeast Conference is a regional economic development organization that plays a central role in advancing mariculture through coordination of the Alaska Mariculture Cluster, support for industry planning, and alignment of public and private partners.
Emerging industries like mariculture require early coordination between workforce development and industry growth.
Their work focuses on building the systems needed for long-term industry success, including infrastructure planning, market development, workforce considerations, and policy alignment. This coordinated approach helps ensure that communities like Kodiak are not developing in isolation, but are part of a broader, strategic effort to grow Alaska’s mariculture sector in a sustainable and scalable way.
Local and regional work will be further highlighted through presentations that connect these broader efforts directly to Kodiak.
Jared Reynolds will provide an update on work KEDC is leading in partnership with the Alaska Mariculture Cluster through Southeast Conference, in collaboration with the Center for Economic Development. This includes ongoing support for Sun’aq Tribe and WildSource, as well as coordination with partners such as the KP3 group to ensure projects are aligned, supported, and positioned for long-term success.
Nick Mangini, Mariculture Director with Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference (SWAMC), member of Kodiak Ocean Growers, and owner of K.I.S.S. Kelp, will share local industry perspective. Nick has been involved in mariculture since Alaska’s first kelp farms came online and has supported research efforts exploring farm density and production potential. His work reflects both the opportunities and the realities of building a mariculture business in Kodiak.
Together, this segment provides a clear view of how statewide strategy, regional coordination, and local experience are working together to shape the future of this industry.
KEDC’s Career Connections work focuses on bringing education, employers, and emerging talent into alignment.
#2. Technology, Training, and Career Pathways
The second segment will focus on Career and Technical Education and emerging workforce opportunities, particularly in areas that are gaining relevance both in Kodiak and across Alaska.
Adam Low of T3 Alaska will share information about programs designed to connect students to high-demand technical careers. T3 Alaska works with communities across the state to create hands-on training opportunities in areas such as construction, trades, and technical fields, helping students gain practical experience and industry-recognized skills.
Kodiak has strong potential to become a T3 Alaska community, and supporting the development of that opportunity is an important next step. Communities that have implemented T3 programs have reported increased student engagement, stronger connections between schools and employers, and clearer pathways from education into the workforce.
Gabe Low of Remote Hands Alaska will provide insight into the growing role of technology and remote operations in Alaska’s workforce. Remote Hands supports technical services that allow businesses and organizations to operate and maintain systems in remote locations, creating opportunities for Kodiak to participate in a broader, technology-enabled economy while still supporting local workforce development.
Annika Woods from the Alaska Job Center will provide a brief overview of workforce support services available to employers and jobseekers, including hiring support, training resources, and workforce development tools that can help strengthen connections between opportunity and access.
#3. Employer Input and Workforce Alignment
The final segment of the forum will shift from presentations to facilitated discussion.
Employers, educators, and partners will be invited to participate in structured conversations focused on workforce needs, barriers, and opportunities. This is a working session designed to gather direct input that will inform local and regional workforce strategies, including the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment.
For employers, this is an opportunity to directly influence how Career and Technical Education pathways are developed and supported in Kodiak. Input shared during this session can help shape program direction, identify priority skill areas, and ensure that training opportunities reflect real workforce needs.
Participation in this discussion allows employers to move beyond responding to workforce challenges and instead contribute to building solutions. It creates a direct connection between business needs and the systems that prepare future employees.
This level of engagement is essential to ensuring that workforce development efforts remain relevant, practical, and aligned with Kodiak’s economy.
Employer input can directly influence the skills being taught and the pathways being created in Kodiak.
Supporting Partners and Local Systems
This forum is also an opportunity to strengthen coordination between KEDC and key partners, including the Kodiak Island Borough School District, Kodiak College, and workforce support organizations.
KEDC remains committed to supporting the work of educators and administrators who are developing and delivering Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. These programs play a critical role in preparing students for careers that are available locally, while also helping employers build a reliable and skilled workforce.
At the same time, this effort supports employers, private businesses, and public organizations who are working to recruit, train, and retain employees in a challenging labor environment.
Supporting workforce development in Kodiak requires coordination across multiple systems. This forum serves as one step in bringing those systems together in a way that is practical, focused, and informed by local experience.
Looking Ahead
The Kodiak Workforce Forum is part of KEDC’s broader role as a convener and connector, bringing together people, information, and opportunity to support long-term economic stability.
This includes sharing updates on projects KEDC is leading, providing visibility into emerging industries and career pathways, and creating space for partners to share their own progress and needs.
It also reflects a shift from planning to implementation. By creating opportunities for direct input and collaboration, KEDC is working to ensure that workforce development efforts are not only well-informed, but also actionable.
This forum is a piece of a longer-term effort to strengthen Kodiak’s workforce through partnership and alignment.
Register to Attend
Employers, educators, and workforce partners are encouraged to attend.
