Our newspaper has been full of stories in recent days touting coming economic development projects.

Dunkirk has the Athenex project coming online. Jamestown has a new bus parts manufacturer coming to Fluvanna Avenue. There are multiple hotel projects happening throughout the area. The Nuova Castelli Group, a cheese manufacturer based in Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy, is bringing its operations to the U.S. for the first time after acquiring Empire Specialty Cheese Co. and its Blockville facility, promising expansion, a corporate headquarters and hundreds of jobs.

Will we have anyone qualified to work in these places?

It is almost laughable to ask that question given the type of job losses we have seen over the past decade. More than 10,000 Chautauqua County residents receive SNAP benefits, just one sign of the high poverty throughout the county. Yet, earlier this year, the Jamestown Public Schools District said it had jobs it can’t fill. Just last week, dozens of organizations came together with oft-told stories of jobs that aren’t being filled either because people aren’t qualified for them, can’t pass drug tests or can’t show up to the jobs consistently. “I could hire 10 maintenance people right now,” one manufacturer proclaimed and several other manufacturers in the room nodded their heads.

Several of the manufacturers in attendance pointed out that there are several skilled positions available that they can’t fill due to lack of qualified applicants, such as refrigeration technicians, electricians, workers skilled in hydraulics and maintenance workers. Healthcare industry employers said they are constantly looking for nurses. However, employers in attendance said they are having trouble filling even entry level jobs due to candidates having a lack of work ethic. Some candidates will show up to work on time and ready to work one day, but then not show up the next few days with no phone calls to explain why, one manufacturer said.

It is easy for people to bellyache about how poorly local elected officials are doing adding jobs to our labor market. We, too, have been critical of development efforts in the past. The jobs fountain has begun to trickle. Now, it’s up to eligible workers to take advantage by getting the training they need or, for some jobs, simply showing up and doing their job. That is something government simply can’t fix.