Workforce Central

The West Michigan Works! Workforce Development Board was presented with the 2019 WIOA Trailblazer Award in a ceremony at the NAWB Forum in Washington D.C. The award, which is an initiative of the NAWB, recognizes innovation and leadership in developing and delivering workforce solutions in the community. In this episode, Jacob Maas, CEO of West Michigan Works! joins the program to discuss some of innovative practices happening in his region, the importance of developing partnerships, and shares advice and tips for success.

Steve Wooderson, CEO of the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), Rita Martin, Deputy Director of CSAVR, and Kathy West-Evans, Director of Business Relations for CSAVR, ,join the program to discuss the impact that technology has had on vocational rehabilitation, the changing demographics of who is served, as well as industry trends.

Tamar Jacoby, President of Opportunity America, and Anne Kim, Vice President of Domestic Policy at The Progressive Policy Institute, join the program to discuss the report Work, Skills, Community: Restoring Opportunity for the Working Class – a slate of bipartisan proposals to create jobs, train and retrain workers and revitalize blue-collar communities.

Russell Krumnow, Director of Economic Mobility and Poverty Project at Convergence and Lisa Schumacher. Director of Education Strategies at McDonald's Corporation join the program to discuss how to close the education gap for low-wage workers. Discover how Convergence is creating dialogues between stakeholders with differing views, and how they are coming together to break down barriers for workers.

Oren Cass, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and author of "The Once and Future Worker- A Vision of Work in America" joins the program to discuss trends for the future of work, the impact that technology will have on workers, and the cultural importance of work. Oren reveals his thoughts about how we can rethink our assumptions about work and education, and how to ensure that every American has an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to society. To order Oren's book, visit https://www.amazon.com/Once-Future-Worker-Renewal-America/dp/1641770147/

Jim McCutcheon, CEO of HighGrove Partners, LLC and Teddy Russell, CEO of Russell Landscape Companies, join the program to discuss the benefits of landscaping as a career and the breadth of jobs available. They also reveal misconceptions about the industry, as well as future trends.

Dr. Isabel Sawhill, senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution , joins the program to discuss her book The Forgotten Americans: An Economic Agenda for a Divided Nation. Dr. Sawhill addresses the enormous divisions in American society—economic, cultural, and political—and what might be done to bridge them. She reveals the core values of the segment of the U.S. population that she calls "The Forgotten Americans", and what they are looking for from work and from their employers. To learn more and to get a copy of the book, visit https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Americans-Economic-Agenda-Divided/dp/0300230362

Jonathan Blitt, CEO of Aztec Software, joins the program to discuss the need for personalized adult education and distance learning and the impact it can have on the labor market. He also reveals the most in-demand skills for employers and surprising places to find new talent.

This episode features an interview with Robert Doar, the Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Robert discusses how connecting low-income individuals to job opportunities is a key piece of lifting people out of poverty, and how to combine job placement efforts with additional assistance in order to get the best results.

This epiosde features Clark Coco, dean of Washburn Institute of Technology in Topeka, Kansas as he discusses National CTE Letter of Intent Signing Day, a national event that recognizes students beginning career and technical education. The National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) is sponsoring the sixth annual National CTE Letter of Intent Signing Day across the country on February 21st, 2019. The event mirrors the NCAA’s National Signing Day for athletes who commit to play sports in college, but instead of athletes, NC3’s Signing Day is designed to honor students who are entering a technical field and to celebrate the dignity of work.

Richard Lum from Vision Foresight Strategy, returns to the program to discuss emerging trends and the future of work. He discusses how to separate out "noise" from truly important data and how to sift through various information sources. He also reveals his thoughts about how automation and A.I. may impact the future economy and workforce. 

Greg Biggs, CEO of Vander-Bend Manufacturing, joins the program to discuss the changes in manufacturing, what skills are required for advanced manufacturing, and the efforts that his company is making to attract and retain top talent. Greg also challenges some misconceptions about the impact of automation and robotics on the manufacturing industry. 

Pete Sepp, President of the National Taxpayers Union, joins the program to discuss the NTU's position about tariffs, job training and education funding in the U.S. Discover the potential impact that tariffs can have on U.S. jobs, and what industries could be effected most.

Ellen Davis, President of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of research and strategic initiatives at the National Retail Federation, joins the program to discuss the facts and misconceptions about the retail industry in the U.S., the impact that retail has on other industries, and what workforce boards need to know about retail.

Recorded live at FORUM 2018, Roger Tadajewski, Executive Director of the National Coalition of Certification Centers, joins the program to discuss the work that the organization is doing to develop strong industry partnerships with educational institutions in order to develop, implement and sustain industry-driven and industry recognized, portable certifications that have strong validation and assessment standards in the transportation, energy and aviation sectors.

In this special episode, recorded live at FORUM 2018, Ron Painter is joined by Beth Cobert, CEO of Skillful. Discover the importance of building a skills-based labor market and the efforts that Skillful has been taking to achieve that goal.

Eric Kuster from the National Propane Gas Association joins the program to discuss the history of propane gas and the various opportunities for growth within the industry. Discover the training and job opportunities that are available in the propane industry. This episode was recorded live at The Forum 2018.

Recorded live from Forum 2018, this episode features an interview with Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper, as he shares his thoughts on workforce development in his state and the country.

Peter Callstrom, President and CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership and Phil Blair, Board Chair of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, join the program to discuss the efforts they are making to expand their ability to develop comprehensive workforce solutions for San Diego. San Diego Workforce Partnership was the winner of the 2018 WIOA Trailblazer Award. 

Samuel Garcia, board member, and Mary Ross, executive director of Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas, join the program to discuss the Workforce Investment Fund, designed to help small businesses train current workers. Samuel also discusses the reasons why he joined the board as a small business owner and shares his thoughts about why local business owners should consider serving on their area workforce boards. Recorded live at Forum 2018.