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NACC Hosts Workforce Forum
Want ads for tomorrow’s workforce will look decidedly different
from those of the past. Just as the economy is changing, so are
the skills needed for a competitive workforce. Eighty percent of
the nation’s fastest growing jobs require at least some
education or training beyond high school. Over the next ten
years, some 36 percent of new jobs are expected to be filled by
those with at least a bachelor’s degree.
Over the past several months, the Southern Growth Policies Board
has co-sponsored community forums across the region to address
these issues and more. One such forum was co-sponsored by the
North Alabama/Southern Tennessee WIRED Region and hosted by
Northeast Alabama Community College.
“Demands on the workforce are changing,” stated Mike Kennamer,
Director of Workforce Development at Northeast Alabama Community
College. “This forum was designed to begin a conversation about
these changes and what we, as a community, need to do to
prepare.” The Southern Growth Policies Board recommends three
strategies for building the next workforce: focus on educational
achievement, focus on serving industry, and focus on workforce
traits.
Eighteen people attended the forum, which sought concerns and
ideas related to building the next workforce. Joyce Bratcher, of
the Impact Learning Center in Scottsboro, served as facilitator
and Julie Cohen, of Northeast Alabama Community College, served
as scribe.
The Southern Growth Policies Board is a non-partisan public
policy think tank based in Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina. Formed by the region's governors in 1971, Southern
Growth Policies Board develops and advances visionary economic
development policies by providing a forum for partnership and
dialog among a diverse cross-section of the region's governors,
legislators, business and academic leaders and the economic- and
community-development sectors. This unique public-private
partnership is devoted to strengthening the South's economy and
creating the highest possible quality of life.
 Northeast
Alabama Community College is a comprehensive two-year
institution providing academic, vocational, technical, and
lifelong learning opportunities to the people of the Northeast
Alabama region.
Forum moderator Joyce Bratcher solicits input
from forum participants as Julie Cohen organizes and records the
information and participants Ronnie Crabtree (Fort Payne High
School) and Wade Daniel (DeKalb County Technology Center)
listen. |
