H
ow do the major social and economic issues of our time tie into the challenges that the workforce system is facing? In the Exploring Issues Sessions on Sunday, March 26, we examine this question and consider how best to achieve a vision for the future through interactive sessions led by experts, facilitators, and innovators on the front lines of solving complex workforce development challenges.
Check out the detailed descriptions below so you and your team can begin planning your itinerary for The Forum 2017.
Exploring Issues Sessions
Sunday, March 26
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Systems Leadership in Complex Times: What Does It Really Take To Build Tomorrow's Workforce?
While workforce leaders are engaged in helping businesses and industry improve its own talent pipeline and career paths, the field itself has few strategies for developing its own talent - specifically its leadership. The multi-dimensional, complex challenges facing America's businesses and workers require unprecedented collaboration among organizations, industries, community organizations, and government. Join colleagues from across the country to discuss what it takes to be a system leader, what skills and competencies are required, and how to facilitate networks of trust and collaboration. Join us for a highly interactive discussion of the opportunities, threats, and challenges facing today's workforce systems leaders as they navigate the new economic and political environment.
Facilitators
Sheila Maguire,
Senior Fellow
Aspen Institute
Sharon Sewell-Fairman,
Executive Director
Workforce Professionals Training Institute
The Current and Future State of Economic Mobility
Concerns and uncertainty around economic mobility and opportunity were a strong current underlying last year's Presidential election. This session will provide an overview of mobility in America followed by a robust discussion of the challenges and opportunities moving forward, including the impact that advances in technology and automation will have on individuals and families already struggling to advance in today's economy. Join the discussion of challenging questions such as: What do we need to do differently to help reverse the trends we are seeing, and to help "disrupt the disruption" coming our way? How should our current education, human services, workforce, and economic development systems be interacting differently, or disrupting themselves, in order to promote and contribute to mobility and opportunity for all? How do we do this as we simultaneously address economic mobility and prepare for the future of work?
Moderator
Maria Flynn,
President & CEO
Jobs for the Future
Panelists
Jason Cavnar,
Entrepreneur & Advisor
Harry J. Holzer,
Professor
McCourt School of Public Policy,
Georgetown University
Nisha
Patel, Executive Director
U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty,
Urban Institute
Jeff Whitehead,
Executive Director
Eastern Kentucky CEP, Inc.
Exploring Technology's Influence on How We Learn and Work
The pathways from education to employment are undergoing a revolution. For example, there has been an explosion of activity around skill-based-hiring and jobs that utilize stackable-credentials and digital badges. These trends create rich opportunities for employers, individuals, training providers, and educational institutions that are ahead of the curve - but also bring about confusion and uncertainty. How can workforce boards take the lead among learners, educators, and employers to navigate emerging 'proof of learning' tools and technologies? How can we best map skills acquisition to employer needs? Join this panel of innovative technologists and educators for concrete ways that we can use digital learning and credentials as a springboard for economic growth and job success.
Moderator
David Deschryver,
Co-Director
Whiteboard Advisors
Panelists
Jamai
Blivin, CEO
Innovate+Educate
Thomas Penny,
General Manager
Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center
Zachary Rowe,
Director, Strategic Partnerships
Guild Education
Nick Shultz,
Executive Director
Pacific Gateway WIN
Capturing the Hearts, Minds, and Imaginations of America's Next Generation
We continue to see nearly more than 6.5 million opportunity youth who do not participate in the labor market and lack the skills needed to compete in the workforce. At the same time, we are facing a shortage of qualified talent for middle skills jobs, which has elevated the visibility of workforce training and increased interest from employers for those with in-demand credentials. Although inroads have been made in the areas of apprenticeships and career technical education to support this interest, how can we nurture this willingness among employers to advance opportunities for lower-skilled younger workers? How can we increase the visibility of these opportunities among youth to create a viable labor pool with the required skills? Draw on the expertise of a national panel of experts who understand that bringing workforce development, critical skills training, and business entities into an aligned partnership can shape the landscape of talent and open doors of opportunity for the next generation.
Moderator
Lili Allen,
Associate VP
Jobs for the Future
Panelists
Jennifer DiBella,
Director of Education
Roundabout Theatre Company
Keri Faulhaber,
Director
Strategic Partnerships & Programs,
JobsFirstNYC
Alex Johnson,
President & CEO
Capital Workforce Partners
Valerie Njie, Executive
Director
and Senior VP
Bidwell Training Center, Inc.
Jeffery Wallace,
President & CEO
LeadersUp
