Hamilton County's business community is doing well, but local companies must engage the next generation of workers as they eye the future.
That was the message that county Mayor Jim Coppinger and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke conveyed to a room full of business leaders Wednesday morning during the annual mayors breakfast at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Coppinger implored businesses to participate in the Step-Up Chattanooga program launched this month that will give 75 local students paid work opportunities in fields that could lead to a career.
"I am grateful and appreciative of all the businesses and industries represented here today," Coppinger said. "Of course then, I'm going to call on you for a favor."
It's one program that could help remedy the problematic outlook detailed in Chattanooga 2.0 report. The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce estimated in the report that 15,000 jobs in Hamilton County that can't be filled by county residents because of the education requirements.
"It's extremely important," Coppinger said of Step-Up Chattanooga. "It offers internships to some of the people that otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to be in a working environment. These are our young people that we're investing in."
Coppinger, also indirectly referenced an alleged December rape involving former Ooltewah High School students, saying it should not lessen local investment in education.
"There's been tragic news. It's the elephant in the room," Coppinger said. "When you talk about public education there's been tragic news in the lately about an incident in our public schools. But in no way can that deter us in moving forward with educating our young people."
Berke praised the business community for its progress and then addressed challenges it faces, saying that the city needs to diversify its economy and focus on the needs of local workforce.
"The Step-Up program is a way that every employer in this room can participate," he said before touting EPB's program that offers its high-speed Internet service at a discounted rate to households with a students qualifying for free or reduced-fee lunches.
"All these initiatives are about building that pipeline that gets people into the workforce," Berke said.
David Altig, chief economist at the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, told the group the U.S. economy ended 2015 "on a whimper."
Gross domestic product is forecast to have fallen below 1 percent in the fourth quarter, he said, terming the performance "pretty disappointing."
Reasons include a strong dollar, falling oil prices and, most concerning, slower consumer spending, Altig said.
"There was a significant step back by the consumer" in the last quarter, he said.
Still, despite the headwinds, he predicted a 2.5 percent growth rate for the U.S. economy in 2016.
"I think the consumer will get back into the game," Altig said.
Staff Writer Mike Pare contributed to this report.
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6249.