Workforce Training: Moraine Valley Community College is expanding hands-on workforce programs, including an entry-level welding track (certificates and short options) plus EMT and a competitive Fire Academy—aimed at filling projected welder openings and supporting faster career starts. Skilled Trades Funding: Mitchell Technical College Foundation won a $945,000 BlackRock Future Builders grant to grow rural energy trades training (utility pipeline technicians, electricians, HVAC/R, SCADA, drone ops, plumbers) with outreach to thousands of students. Labor Market Signals: The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index fell 0.5% in September, while the share of consumers saying jobs are “hard to get” rose to 21.9% and small firms reported fewer openings they can’t fill. Entry-Level Hiring & AI: A Nehemiah Leadership Brief ties U.S. job openings (7.1 million) to research suggesting generative AI can shrink junior hiring shares in AI-exposed roles. Cybersecurity & HR Risk: The FBI dropped an Accenture contractor after a missed security patch exposed sensitive employee data, a reminder that vendor security failures can hit staffing and operations fast. Education-to-Work: West Virginia launched “Mountain Moves,” a tourism-and-career board game for 8th graders, built to steer students toward local pathways. Big Employer/Industry Watch: Bayer announced a $2.2B Ohio manufacturing investment, targeting about 600 jobs plus construction work.