UPCEA.edu: Professional Development: Special Seminars: 2010 Workforce Development Forum

Workforce Development In Changing Times

2010 UCEA Workforce Development Forum

January 13-15, 2010 - Scottsdale, AZ

UCEA’s 16th Annual Workforce Development Forum will explore how college and university professional and continuing education organizations are responding to the changing nature of workforce development, education, and training. The Forum is an opportunity for leaders from the business, government, non-profit, and academic sectors to discuss workforce trends, public policy directions, partnership models, and education programs.

Melvyn D. Schiavelli, President
Harrisburg University
Of Science and Technology

Private University, Public Mission

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology has achieved national acclaim for its distinctive educational model and its astonishing progress since opening in 2005. Created through the combined efforts of educators, businesses and government, the University offers academic programs in applied science and technology fields to meet the needs of the region’s youth, workforce and businesses. Students graduate with core competencies that are both sought-after by employers and necessary to prosper in a global economy.

Martha Kanter,
Under Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education

Jane Oates,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training,
U.S. Department of Labor

Dept. of Education – Dept. of Labor, Point/Counterpoint

This moderated plenary session will examine the priorities, opportunities, and obstacles associated with implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and realizing the American Graduation Initiative goals as viewed from the perspective of the two federal agencies that have primary responsibility for U.S. workforce development.

David A. Longanecker, President
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Boulder

Can We Get There From Here?

The president has laid out an ambitious goal for the United States to reclaim the position as the best educated country in the World by 2020. The question before us as the education community is "Can we get there from here?" Even the most ambitious efforts to better serve traditional students won't be good enough. Indeed, we will have to find much more successful strategies for serving adult students. WICHE is actively engaged in efforts with both traditionally disenfranchised youth and young adults and in efforts to attract more older adults back into higher education, and will be sharing lessons learned from these activities.

Workforce development has traditionally been defined as training that takes place outside the university and in vocational or technical education, adult basic education, or basic skills training. The changing nature of the U.S. workforce, combined with the federal stimulus plan and policy objectives of the Obama administration, make this view obsolete and impractical. The shift to a knowledge economy has expanded the role of colleges and universities from not only educational providers, but also suppliers of professional workforce training and lifelong learning. Demographic trends are also shaping the context of workforce development. By 2025, 15 percent of the U.S. population is expected to be foreign-born, an all-time high. The vast majority of this growth will be due to an increase in the Hispanic population. Approximately 30 states are projected to experience a decline in the number of high school graduates between 2005 and 2015. Local, state, and federal governments are realizing that the best chance towards productivity and regional growth is to increase the educational attainment of the workforce. Government funded programs are providing incentives for higher education, business, government, and community organizations to develop innovative and comprehensive approaches to workforce and economic development, especially in health care, energy, sustainability, and the “green” economy.

For more information on the forum: please contact Tim Sloate at tsloate@upcea.edu or 202.659.3130.