Recently Lina Petkeviciene, Economic Development Officer for the Town of Langenburg received her ability to be certified as a professional community and economic developer of Saskatchewan (PCED.SK).
“I think every Community or Economic Development Officer in Saskatchewan should complete this provincial certification. It gives a good understanding of core principles, best practices, and strategies for the profession which you need to prove in order to keep it,” commented Petkeviciene when asked about her recent certification.
This certification is a way for the community and economic development professionals to validate their skills and receive industry recognition by proving that they meet a benchmark level of training, experience, and continuing education.
This professional certification demonstrates an individual’s commitment to the profession and to life-long learning, reflects an individual’s attainment of knowledge and skills and meets the needs of employers and the public by identifying individuals with certain knowledge and skills.
Economic development officers promote economic growth and sustainability in a community or region. There are many different roles an economic development officer performs. The most common is supporting and encouraging existing businesses while working to attract new businesses to their area.
An EDO’s role in the municipality is to prepare all fundraising plans and ensure compliance to all company strategies and monitor all associate fundraising activities and perform research on various projects to prepare all projections for revenue.
An economic developer is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing economic development strategies, as well as acting as a key liaison between public and private sectors and the community. They also provide information on the community needed by local industries and the private and public sectors.
By Gary Horseman
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
garyfourtownjournal@gmail.com
Four-Town+ Journal