Since the Great Recession, college graduates have entered a challenging job market. And yet, some 2 million manufacturing jobs will remain vacant over the next decade, due in large part to the “skills gap,” or a lack of qualified candidates. One possible solution, cited by the administration, educators, and manufacturers alike, is the development of community college training programs to cultivate the next generation of manufacturing employees. As a result, many community colleges are entering into partnerships with large companies to prepare their students for a career in the country’s reinvigorated manufacturing sector.
On July 9, Governance Studies at Brookings hosted a half-day conference focused on the growing partnerships between community colleges and the manufacturing sector. Panels focused on the future of workforce development and the role of community colleges in the training of manufacturing workers. How are community colleges working to prepare the next generation of innovators in the manufacturing space and ready young adults to enter the workforce?
The conference marks the fourth annual John Hazen White Forum on Public Policy, which convenes leaders from academia, business, and government to discuss and identify solutions to the United States’ most pressing challenges.
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Preparing the next generation of manufacturers through community colleges
Training workers in manufacturing
The role of community colleges
Agenda
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July 9
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The future of workforce development
9:00 am
Darrell M. West Senior Fellow - Center for Technology Innovation, Douglas Dillon Chair in Governmental StudiesDeRionne Pollard President - Montgomery CollegeV. Celeste Carter Program Director, Division of Undergraduate Education - National Science Foundation -
Training workers in manufacturing
10:00 am
Patricia Cohen Reporter - The New York TimesAmy Cell Consultant - Community VenturesWalter Siegenthaler Executive Vice President - Max Daetwyler CorporationJohn White President, Taco, Inc. - Brookings Trustee -
The role of community colleges
11:00 am
Goldie Blumenstyk Senior Writer - Chronicle of Higher EducationThomas Bailey Director, Community College Research Center - Columbia UniversityJohn Colborn Director, Skills for America's Future - Aspen Institute
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