Kansas City, MO
Sponsors
Federal Reserve Banks of Kansas City and Atlanta
Contact
Chevelle Wilson, community and economic development group
The event brought together more than 220 researchers, policymakers, and professionals from the workforce development field to discuss job market issues affecting low- and moderate-income communities.
Keynote speakers focused on the dilemma of an increasing demand for technically savvy workers and the lack of training opportunities for workers to gain those skills. They addressed the need to retool educational systems and redesign curriculums that better match graduates to the job market. And they explored the multiple challenges of an aging workforce, stagnant workforce wages, and concern for the long-term unemployed.
Highlights from notable speakers Paul Osterman, professor, Sloan School and the Department of Urban Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carol Tomé, executive vice president of corporate services and chief financial officer, The Home Depot; and Glen Hiemstra, founder, Futurist.com
Panelists also discussed the urgent need to strengthen partnerships between educational institutions and industry, changes in demographics affecting the workplace, the value of encouraging entrepreneurship, and the challenge of workers keeping up with changing technologies.
A panel discussion with moderator Todd Greene, vice president for community and economic development, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and panelists Barbara Dyer, president and CEO, The Hitachi Foundation; Karen Elzey, director, Skills for America's Future, Economic Opportunities Program, The Aspen Institute; and Dowell Myers, professor and director of Population Dynamics Research Group, University of Southern California
Check the tweets on Twitter's search page using the #Workforce2012 hashtag.