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If you鈥檙e looking to understand just how hot the Arizona economy is right now, let鈥檚 have a look at the charts.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis says Arizona is fifth nationally for , where the state saw a 5.5% increase in 2018.

Forbes says we鈥檙e a top-5 state for .

The latest Rich States, Poor States from the American Legislative Exchange Council ranks Arizona in the top-10 of best states.

For the third year in a row, Census Bureau data reveals that the nation鈥檚 is Maricopa County.

It seems Gov. Doug Ducey is cutting the ribbon at a major new job announcement or two every week. The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity estimates the state will add more than over a two-year period.

It鈥檚 all great news. When I compare notes with my chamber of commerce colleagues across the country, no one feels sorry for me having to advocate for Arizona鈥檚 business community.

But with all the good news, comes a word of caution: If Arizona can鈥檛 ensure employers that we have the workforce to fill the jobs they want to bring here, then we risk an economic slowdown. Even the best business attraction policies on the books don鈥檛 do much good if the state鈥檚 workforce is a bad match for its available jobs.

Ensuring the talent pipeline stays full is an old problem that needs new thinking, which is what state Rep. Jeff Weninger brings to the table.

He鈥檚 introduced legislation, H.B. 2657, that would establish a grant program to be administered by the Arizona Commerce Authority that could be accessed by community colleges engaged in successfully training workers in high-wage, in-demand fields like manufacturing, information technology, and financial services.

There鈥檚 real urgency to modernize our workforce development strategy. Employers across the country have tens of thousands of well-paying jobs open, but they don鈥檛 have the skilled talent to fill them. Just in Arizona, we have more than 15,000 positions that need to be filled in manufacturing and computer systems alone. The demand is predicted to grow exponentially over the next decade, so meeting this demand will set the course both for individual and state prosperity.

Rep. Weninger鈥檚 idea is a smart one with built-in accountability. Instead of granting training dollars directly to employers, his plan ensures Arizona鈥檚 lead economic development agency, the ACA, works with community colleges to incent the development of training programs for the industries where they鈥檙e needed most and for jobs that pay well. Students will leave the community college with an industry certification or credential that ensures they鈥檒l be ready for work and in-demand.

The positive impact will be felt statewide. Community colleges can share the curriculum and program standards they establish with other community colleges in Arizona. Imagine, for example, an advanced manufacturing certificate program hosted by Central Arizona College that could produce a portion of Lucid Motors鈥� and Nikola鈥檚 future workforce in Pinal County.

The concept is good not just for targeted industries, but their related ones, too. If employers know that the state is doing a good job of producing qualified workers for a particular field, other employers in ancillary businesses can invest in Arizona with confidence that we鈥檙e growing talent here.

A look at the various state rankings shows that the pro-growth policies Gov. Ducey and the Legislature have adopted are working. We鈥檙e on the leading edge of emerging technology like 5G, cybersecurity, blockchain, and FinTech; we鈥檙e home now to next-generation heavy truck and electric vehicle manufacturing; and we鈥檙e becoming a for the insurance and financial services industries.

But just like workers migrate to where the jobs are, employers migrate to where the workers are. Rep. Weninger鈥檚 bill will help ensure that Arizona remains the place where employers want to be.

Glenn Hamer is president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.