CONNECTICUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
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CONNECTICUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
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Several current issues require amplification so that Connecticut leaders can fashion the appropriate policies: Click on link below to view story.
Connecticut is at a precarious and pivotal point in its competitive position in the national economy. At question is its ability to nurture and sustain growth, innovation and leadership in the business community. The greatest workforce challenges the state faces are the deleterious effects of an aging workforce, a shortage of skilled youth and a mismatch of existing worker skill sets for today's and tomorrow's business needs. The challenges threaten the state's prosperity, functionality and the state's attractiveness as a place to do business. For better or for worse, the rest of the nation, as well as most industrialized countries are showing similar signs. Connecticut must seize this window of opportunity to identify solutions that will lead to positive change.This emerging threat on our economy needs to be better understood by us all. We need a broadly accepted and supported Roadmap to achieve Connecticut's workforce goals. Recently, the Connecticut Workforce Development Council led a Forum to ignite this process, gathering nearly 200 state, municipal and business leaders. Futurist and workforce champion Ed Barlow of Creating the Future, Inc. characterized this challenge as the second most critical issue facing the U.S. after national defense. He encapsulated the challenges, trends and implications we face. His core message is that the world has changed and we have not changed with it. Mr. Barlow's presentation was followed by discussion-based work sessions, creating a pool of solutions from those in attendance. Following are some of the challenges and suggested strategies extracted from this session. The Challenges In the World:
In the Nation:
In Connecticut
There Are Solutions A mechanism is in place, and positioned to address these most serious issues. Increased awareness of the issues and their consequences will help our existing workforce development capacity to better prepare and align a competitive workforce with the marketplace. It is really merely a matter of providing the "dedicated" resources necessary to meet the challenge, identifying a unified course of action, eliminating any duplication of effort, leveraging the strength of each partner, and building and executing a workforce development plan that will serve as a model for efficiency. It is a team effort from beginning to end, and everyone must be accountable. Keeping up with the Rapid Rate of Change No one is exempt from the effects of the challenges. All sectors of the Connecticut economy, employers, workers, communities must come together to address them. In particular, a new continuum of education must be developed, that is tied directly to current and future workforce needs, from entry level to advanced degrees. This continuum must be driven by the current and anticipated economic development engines that will drive our future prosperity. CT is facing a workforce challenge now, plus the many other related challenges on the horizon. Businesses need to take action, but they lack a sense of urgency. The pace of change is faster than ever, and the rate of expected change is overwhelming. The economy needs more training for existing and dislocated workers to help them transition to meet a different set of business needs. Education must be ongoing and lifelong to keep up with the rate of change. The state needs to do a better job of adjusting the education system to provide the skills for future workforce requirements. There are too many "silos," when teamwork should be sparking economic growth. Everyone needs to play a role taking a holistic approach to achieving solutions. Creating a Roadmap While many strategies have been devised to address the challenges we face, there is no roadmap that all stakeholders rally around. Leadership in all sectors must provide a clear, consistent direction: a roadmap to success. There are many stakeholders, including the Workforce Investment Boards, the Governor's Jobs Cabinet and Connecticut Training and Employment Commission, leaders in business, education and government who are trying to make a difference, but there is no system in place to "connect the dots." Workforce Boards are in an ideal position to convene the partners and create the roadmap that will ensure Connecticut's desirability as a place to live, learn and do business.
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