KEDC · Careers and Workforce
Grow here. Work here. Stay here.
Build your future where your roots are.
Kodiak employers tell us again and again that they can't find enough workers. But the workers they need are often already here: our own students, many of whom don't know what careers exist on the island. KEDC connects the two, so employers find local talent and students find a future at home.
How does KEDC work? Read How KEDC Serves Kodiak.
43 students
asked to join 3 paid internships (25 applied, 18 more after the deadline). That's 14 students for every spot: Kodiak's young people want to build careers here.
85 people
filled the April 2026 Kodiak Workforce Forum, with 18 more on the waitlist. Employers, educators and partners named what's holding back hiring, and their answers became a public report with practical next steps.
127 business leaders
employing about 3,500 Kodiak workers answered KEDC's 2024 Business Climate survey. That gives Kodiak a baseline of what employers need, so programs like Work Local answer real hiring needs, not guesses.
What we're doing
Four ways KEDC connects Kodiak students and job seekers with Kodiak employers.
Work Local paid internships
Three Kodiak students work with KEDC from November 2026 to May 2027, learning office, communications and outreach skills. They visit local businesses, write case studies and present what they learned at a spring showcase.
Kodiak Workforce Forum
Each year, employers, educators and job seekers meet to name what's holding back hiring. The 2026 forum drew 85 people, with 18 more on the waitlist.
Career and Workforce Development Partnership
Employers, schools and community partners building job shadows, site visits and hands-on learning, so Kodiak students can see local careers up close.
Career exposure for students
A 2027 job shadowing and career event is being planned with a local school club and the Coast Guard's MWR program, building on KEDC's Career Expo.
Results and needs
What has happened so far, and where Kodiak can help next.
Students
25 students applied for 3 paid internships in two weeks, and 18 more asked after the deadline. Two graduating seniors moved into jobs after the Career Expo.
Local partners and sponsors investing in Work Local. KEDC is pursuing grants, but local investment is what makes the program last, and opens spots for more of the students we couldn't take this year.
Employers
127 business leaders shaped the Business Climate Analysis. 85 people joined the 2026 Workforce Forum.
Businesses to host intern site visits and job shadows. A visit takes about 2 to 3 hours, and you get a written case study of your business plus an early look at future summer hires.
Partners
Kodiak College, KANA and the Kodiak Job Center have offered to support a spring student project.
Local sponsors and partners to fund that spring project, alongside the grants KEDC is pursuing. Every sponsor is invited to the May showcase and recognized there for what they made possible.
Sponsors
Work Local sponsorships opened in October 2026, and Koniag is our first Homeport sponsor. Founding Sponsors will be announced in December.
Sponsors for the 2026–27 program. Commit by November 20 to be a Founding Sponsor, and commit for two years at this year's rate to keep Founding Sponsor recognition permanently.
KEDC's paid student internship
Work Local
Grow here. Work here. Stay here.
Build your future where your roots are.
Your business becomes the classroom. Interns visit, learn how you run your work, and tell your story on KEDC's website, social media and email updates. Some will become your summer hires.
Founding Sponsor deadline: Friday, November 20, 2026
43 students
asked for just 3 internship spots
Your business becomes their classroom.
Thank you, Koniag, for being our first!
Sponsorships from $400
From the Career Expo
Kodiak High School students toured local workplaces, practiced interviews and met employers from across the island.
"I was surprised by how few students knew about what opportunities are available here on island for them. I see this event as a stepping stone to bring these opportunities to the school to help retain students on island in the future workforce."
Jascha ZbitnoffBrechan Construction, KEDC Board President
"Workforce in Kodiak is like any other scarce resource on our island, it must be cultivated, nurtured, and grown. The Career Expo is designed to do just that; inform, partner and share local opportunities with our young people to grow our workforce and ensure our future Kodiak economy."
Karl HertzProvidence Medical Center, KEDC Board President at the time
Career and Workforce Development Partnership
Help build Kodiak's next workforce.
43 Kodiak students asked for 3 internship spots this fall. The interest is here. What Kodiak needs now is more places where students can see real local jobs up close. The Partnership brings employers, schools and community partners together to create them.
- Meet your future workforce. Get to know Kodiak students before they graduate, and before they leave the island.
- Shape what students learn. Help design job shadows, site visits and career events that fit your industry.
- Work alongside partners. Join schools, Kodiak College, the Kodiak Job Center and other employers working on the same problem.
Employers: other ways to help
Host a site visit or job shadow, speak at the Workforce Forum, or tell us what roles you can't fill.
Students and families
Applications for this year's internship are closed. Sign up for KEDC's email updates to hear first about the next round of internships, job shadows and other opportunities.