By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

This coming weekend we celebrate Labor Day, and many of us will celebrate the holiday with cookouts, backyard gatherings and maybe a last trip to beach before the weather starts to turn cooler. It’s easy for us to sometimes forget the reasons for a holiday, focusing instead on having a day off from work, but our holidays are designed to commemorate people and events that have shaped our nation. Labor Day, in particular, is dedicated to American workers, without whom we would not have the thriving economy, reliable services and prosperity that we have today. Here in Somerville, we are working to keep up with a rapidly changing state, national and global economy not only to build a sustainable local economy that keeps our city competitive but that keeps our local workers competitive, too.

That’s why as we pursue our shared vision of creating more jobs in Somerville, we’re also pursuing workforce development initiatives and programs that support local businesses, on top of what we’re already doing, to keep our local workers and small businesses competitive. These workers and small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy and significant contributors to our quality of life. Our local businesses are a big part of what makes our neighborhoods and squares vibrant and desirable places to live and spend time. And our core orienting value is making Somerville an exceptional place to live, work, play and raise a family, but making that a reality for every resident in our community begins with “work.” Without a decent paying job, living, playing and raising a family anywhere is difficult, so supporting our local workers makes our core orienting value possible for our residents and their families.

Beyond bringing more businesses to Somerville so there are more jobs available, we’ve started a “First Source” movement that aims to make it easier for Somerville employers to find local talent for their open positions, while preparing our residents to take advantage of those opportunities and giving them a first look at new jobs in our city. We’ve already seen some early returns on our work in Assembly Square, where the numbers indicate that at least 40 percent of jobs at Assembly Row are on pace to go to local workers. First Source movements across the country shoot for a 30 percent local hiring rate, so the numbers so far from Assembly Row are encouraging. Our success stems from the city partnering with Federal Realty to make sure our local workers are alerted to job openings and prepared to apply for them, with multiple Assembly Row jobs fairs dedicated solely to Somerville residents.

Knowing that partnering with our local businesses is a key component of matching local workers with local jobs, part of our workforce development contract with the Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) focuses on making that connection. The SCC and partner The Career Place are developing an online Talent Bank and Jobs Bank that will include residents looking for employment and Somerville job opportunities, with the SCC and Career Place helping to create matches. The Career Place also now has a staff person in Somerville twice each week to directly serve residents and, with the SCC, reaches out to residents about the job prep services and workshops available.

Helping our residents attain employment is part of the solution. Another part of the solution is supporting our local businesses that create jobs in the city. We currently offer a number of programs that directly support local businesses, such as our Commercial Property Improvement Program that makes up to $42,500 available to businesses and commercial property owners for projects that beautify their storefronts and attract more customers. We’ve offered assistance to help businesses thrive in the form of best business practices, from window displays to customer outreach, and assist new or relocating businesses find homes.

This fall we plan to expand those services with a new small business technical assistance program. Local businesses will have access to experts on marketing, merchandising, layout and business management, so that as our city grows and prospers, so do the local businesses and entrepreneurs who have helped make the city the vibrant community it is today. And all of our broader city efforts, from making Somerville more walkable, bikeable and transit-oriented to community-based policing that keeps crime at historic lows, help create the business-friendly climate that helps local businesses attract and keep customers.

When jobs are local, there are added benefits for local workers and all residents. It improves our residents’ quality of life, as they are able to spend more time with their families and less time commuting. Shorter commutes also save our residents time and money, and can help promote personal health by people walking or biking to work and overall public health through reduced vehicle emissions. On top of everything else, local jobs keep our local economy strong. I hope that everyone enjoys their Labor Day and I invite you to stay tuned as we expand our commitment to ensure that as Somerville grows, so do our residents in the workforce and our local businesses.