Community leaders gather for the annual Arizona Southwest Town Hall

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Community leaders came together Friday for the annual Arizona Southwest Town Hall.

Local business leaders, educators, and students gathered at Arizona Western College in Yuma to discuss workforce development and how it aligns with industry needs with future careers.

Leaders discussed how to develop skills in people through internships and education and encourage people to stay in field locally.

"The community came together to talk about workforce development," said co-chair of Southwest Arizona Town Hall Shelley Mellon. "How that aligns with the industry needs with future careers and how we create that pipeline through the education system, so students know the possibilities and the opportunities that they have within our community to hopefully develop additional internships and job opportunities for our students."

The report from this session will go to Arizona town hall and legislators across the state. The event happens every year in October.