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WI2005 Speakers
MONDAY OPENING PLENARY BALLROOM 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. This year Workforce Innovations is proud to have the nation's key workforce investment leaders, business executives, workforce board members, education policy makers, and other change agents all working to achieve a shared vision of an educated, highly skilled, and globally competitive American workforce. Together we will discover the importance of this year's themes: integration, transformation and innovation. Future economic growth will require the integration of ideas from yesterday and today, younger workers with experienced mentors, as well as efforts by diverse industries across the board. From these efforts we will derive innovative approaches for the 21st century that will transform the American economy in the coming years. Our keynote address will be delivered by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, who will highlight the dynamic and flexible qualities of the American workforce, as well as how workforce investment programs are realizing President Bush's economic vision through his High Growth Job Training Initiative. Our featured speaker, Michael J. Mandel, Chief Economist at BusinessWeek, will explain his optimistic outlook for America's economic future driven by innovation. TUESDAY Town Hall Meeting Economies in Transition TOWN HALL AREA OF EXHIBIT HALL B 7:45 - 8:45 a.m. Regional economies across the nation continually utilize their unique assets and resources to encourage innovation, improve productivity and integrate new industries into communities. U.S. Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Emily DeRocco along with representatives from different levels of government will be on hand to discuss the positive transformations in progress from coast to coast. Local, State, Federal and International representatives will explain their roles in finding solutions to economic challenges including educational strategies to achieve a diverse, innovative and technically trained workforce; business and industry support for innovation and higher productivity; and the role of government on all levels to promote conditions which encourage innovation-based economic development. Advanced Manufacturing Plenary BALLROOM 9:15 - 10:30 a.m. The Advanced Manufacturing industry is transforming before our eyes. The skills and competencies of yesterday have made way for those required for the careers of today. At present, the advanced manufacturing workforce is “aging out,” creating a need for younger workers ready and able to compete in today's economy. The public workforce system, along with employers, is creating innovative programs and curricula targeted at younger Americans, providing a pipeline to integrate entry-level workers into the advanced manufacturing industry. Governor John Engler, President of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), along with a panel of industry leaders, will discuss solutions to these challenges currently facing the industry. The panel will also be joined by a special guest from Job Corps you won't want to miss! Energy Plenary BALLROOM 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. The importance of Energy in today's economy may be summed up with one word – indispensable. Take a look around; energy is at everyone's doorstep, bringing with it an array of economic challenges, but also important economic opportunities. Currently, the energy industry is faced with the “aging out” of its workforce, while at the same time the competencies needed by workers to compete have drastically shifted. U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco will introduce this panel discussion, which will showcase industry experts explaining how the public workforce system is forging new, innovative ties with the energy industry and overcoming challenges through the integration of diverse resources and perspectives. Motivated to meet the needs of energy providers, as well as working Americans, workforce investment professionals are training clients with the requisite skills to succeed in the energy industry. This plenary will convey knowledge about current trends transforming the energy industry, as well as how the workforce investment system is partnering with energy providers to satisfy critical economic needs and strengthen communities such as your own. WEDNESDAY Town Hall Meeting The Case for Hiring Persons with Disabilities TOWN HALL AREA OF EXHIBIT HALL B 7:45 - 8:45 a.m. All too often persons with disabilities face barriers to employment. To address these challenges, public and private partnerships have been developed to identify solutions within the workforce investment system. U.S. Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco hosts this Town Hall meeting with government and business leaders to discuss business' interest in hiring individuals with disabilities, and innovative techniques that can be used to address challenges and barriers and make a difference in the lives of persons with disabilities and employers. By working together, Americans with disabilities can find themselves surmounting obstacles, becoming fully integrated into successful careers and enjoying new opportunities that are transforming their economic livelihood and adding new strength to the workforce of today. Learning in the 21st Century Plenary BALLROOM 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Today's economy is transforming at an ever quickening pace. Educating the American worker is essential to our workforce not only remaining productive and adaptive, but also globally competitive in this era of economic interconnectivity. This session integrates diverse perspectives from the full spectrum of education, ranging from K-12, post-secondary, graduate and professional levels. Among the panel of experts are community college and University presidents, civic leaders, and other leaders in the field of government and education. These panelists will describe their innovative approaches to finding educational solutions to the new and emerging challenges of the 21st century. Ideas brought forth by our panelists promise to provide insight into innovations currently being developed. Town Hall Meeting The Faces of Success TOWN HALL AREA OF EXHIBIT HALL B 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. SCSEP, ATELS, MSFW...ETA programs are a lot more than alphabet soup. This town hall will remind us what they're all about - finding human solutions. You will hear directly from employers who were faced with workforce challenges, but the highlight will be seeing and hearing the incredible stories from the faces of success – those individuals whose lives were transformed by their engagement with the public workforce system. Success stories like these are the embodiment of all the hard work and innovation within WIA programs which integrate public and private resources in order to find demand-driven solutions. Take this opportunity to join U.S. Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco in honoring the personal achievements of working Americans. |
U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration
American Society for Training & Development
