Educators and Industry meet on Workforce Development

October 16th, 2008 at 12:03pm Tom McDunn

On October 10, the Chamber’s Manufactures Education Outreach Committee hosted a meeting at ACE High School for District 205 counselors and vo-tech teachers. Teachers interacted with local industry representatives to hear first hand what traits are ideal for entering the local workforce.

A panel from local industry included:

Tom McDunn, EIGERlab
Jeff Sherman, Woodward and GEM Student
Bob Strenstrom, Stenstrom General Contractors
Terry Egan, FMA
Kurt Broski, Entre Computers
Beverly Long, Rockford Health System
Sandy Anderson, CNA program, Rock Valley College

The panelists presented informative glimpses into what employers are looking for and the skills needed for today’s workforce. Healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and IT careers were highlighted by the diverse panel. Common threads included the need for interpersonal skills both oral and written. Email and texting are tools but employers were seeking the interpersonal skills required for work teams. All panelists relayed that good paying entry level jobs exist in the Rockford market.

Terry Egan presented a unique scholarship, Go Brennan”,  from FMA that solicits entries via YouTube. You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-lQPm7gf6I .

Pam Labunski, one of the attendees best described it, “The most valuable message that we teachers will impart to our students is the fact that, no matter what the industry, essential skills, such as interpersonal communication, problem-solving abilities, and the desire for life-long learning, are at the heart of career success.”

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